Latest news with #JoannaMcClinton
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass election reform bill; Senate Republicans balk on voter ID
(WHTM) — Democrats in the State House and Republicans in the State Senate continue to pass legislation they know is unacceptable to the other chamber and has no chance of becoming law. The most recent example, an election reform bill full of Democratic priorities that ignores the GOP's biggest request. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The State House passed an election reform bill that would allow pre-canvassing and curing of mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and early voting. The most powerful Democrat sponsored it. 'House Bill 1396 is a commonsense measure to improve the way Pennsylvania conducts our elections,' said Democratic Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton. The bill didn't address voter ID and didn't get a single Republican vote. 'We're working on the voter ID bill,' said Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin). Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Rep. Mehaffie's House Bill 771 would require an ID to vote, but expands what's acceptable. 'You can bring in a utility bill, different forms of ID from all parts of government, federal, state, and county government,' said Mehaffie. Bill 771 would also let those without an ID sign an affidavit, with penalties for those who falsify. 'If you don't have anything or you refuse to sign the affidavit, then you've got to vote provisionally,' said Mehaffie. 'That's the failsafe in all of this.' A failsafe, Mehaffie says, so courts don't rule it unconstitutional for disenfranchising voters, but some Democrats say too restrictive. 'You should be able to go and do your constitutional right to vote and not have to have impediments, said Rep. Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia). 'We should be making voting easier, not harder.' Not restrictive enough for some Republicans, which kept it from a House vote. 'Would I like to see improvements on it? Sure,' said Rep. Torren Ecker (R-Franklin). 'But listen, this is the back and forth that we have in state government.' There's no shortage of back and forth between the House and the Senate. Rare is success on the thornier issues. 'Yeah, it was a party line vote, but it starts a conversation with our colleagues in the Senate, and I think we need more of those conversations today,' said Rep. Nate Davidson (D-Cumberland/Dauphin). The House and the Senate, and Republicans and Democrats, are going to have to get together and talk about exactly what they want to get something done. If not, they will proceed as they have done for several years and not get anything done, when almost everyone agrees something needs to get done. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass changes to state election law
(WHTM) – The Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania State House passed a bill that would implement several changes in the state's election laws. The bill would allow counties to pre-canvass mail-in ballots and allow voters to 'cure' their ballots by fixing mistakes such as failing to sign the envelope. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The bill would also allow for in-person early voting up to 11 days before an election and set standards for drop boxes in all 67 counties. Counties would also be required to keep electronic poll books and create a post-election audit process. Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton says the bill would make elections more secure in Pennsylvania. 'House Bill 1396 responds to the needs of our most essential election stakeholders and would make all of our elections free, fair, efficient, uniform, safe and secure,' said McClinton. All 102 Democrats voted for the bill and all 101 Republicans voted against it. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled State Senate. Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford/Erie), chair of the House State Government Committee, voiced concern about the bill after it passed on Tuesday. 'This 98-page bill was rushed to prime time with only about a week elapsing from introduction to final passage by the House,' Roae said. 'It gave little time for stakeholders to weigh in and have their concerns addressed.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging bill sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, addresses an array of election-related matters, including rules for ballot drop boxes, electronic lists of registered voters for election workers to consult, in-person early voting and voter registration. It passed on a vote of 102 to 101 and was sent to the Republican majority state Senate, adding a potent political issue to the mix as lawmakers and the governor head into the homestretch of the annual state budget season's dealmaking. 'This bill will make sure we have less ambiguities in the law,' McClinton said in an interview before the vote. 'It also accounts for the changes in how voters want to cast their ballot by providing options for early voting, increased access to ballot drop boxes and allowing them to correct small errors on mail-in ballots.' Its prospects in the Republican majority state Senate are unclear. The communications director for the GOP caucus released a statement saying simply that the House-passed bill will be reviewed by a committee. It would require counties to pay their elections officials at least $175 per election and change the rules for recounts and contested elections. Every county would have to have at least two ballot drop boxes to return mail-in ballots, with more in larger counties. In-person early voting would start 11 days before an election and end the Sunday before the election. All counties would have at least one in-person early voting site, and larger counties would have to add one for every 100,000 registered voters. The early in-person voting proposal would replace a clumsy and time-consuming alternative that led to hourslong lines and claims of disenfranchisement last fall in the nation's biggest presidential battleground state. That alternative allows voters to go to their election office, register for a mail-in ballot, fill it out on the spot and hand it in. Some county election offices found themselves swamped and unprepared for the influx. Establishing rules for drop boxes would settle a gray area in state law that led to partisan court battles over whether drop boxes were legal and, if so, what sort of security measures are required. Democratic-controlled counties have embraced the use of drop boxes for mail-in voters, while Republican-controlled counties have generally eschewed them as illegal. Under the bill, the state would provide $2 million for the Department of State to identify electronic poll books that are compatible with other election software. The state would borrow up to $60 million more to help counties purchase them. Electronic poll books — with lists of eligible, registered voters for election workers to use — would replace paper poll lists with a digital system. Voters using mail-in ballots would no longer have to provide an accurate, handwritten date on the return envelope, a requirement that has spawned years of litigation. But the voter would still have to sign the envelope for their ballot to count. Household members and others close to a voter would be permitted to return their mail-in ballots — current law requires most voters to return their own ballots. County workers could begin to process mail-in ballots a week before the election, taking ballots out of envelopes and scanning them if the scanner is able to scan the ballot without tabulating or recording the vote until Election Day. Many counties have long hoped for more time to begin to process the ballots in advance as a way to lessen the Election Day workload. Asked if Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supports McClinton's proposal, his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said the governor wants to improve the safety and security of elections 'while enfranchising voters' and that his team "will continue working with both legislative chambers toward bipartisan reforms that protect our democratic process for all eligible Pennsylvanians.'
Toronto Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging bill sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, addresses an array of election-related matters, including rules for ballot drop boxes, electronic lists of registered voters for election workers to consult, in-person early voting and voter registration.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging bill sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, addresses an array of election-related matters, including rules for ballot drop boxes, electronic lists of registered voters for election workers to consult, in-person early voting and voter registration. It passed on a vote of 102 to 101 and was sent to the Republican majority state Senate, adding a potent political issue to the mix as lawmakers and the governor head into the homestretch of the annual state budget season's dealmaking. 'This bill will make sure we have less ambiguities in the law,' McClinton said in an interview before the vote. 'It also accounts for the changes in how voters want to cast their ballot by providing options for early voting, increased access to ballot drop boxes and allowing them to correct small errors on mail-in ballots.' Its prospects in the Republican majority state Senate are unclear. The communications director for the GOP caucus released a statement saying simply that the House-passed bill will be reviewed by a committee. It would require counties to pay their elections officials at least $175 per election and change the rules for recounts and contested elections. Every county would have to have at least two ballot drop boxes to return mail-in ballots, with more in larger counties. In-person early voting would start 11 days before an election and end the Sunday before the election. All counties would have at least one in-person early voting site, and larger counties would have to add one for every 100,000 registered voters. The early in-person voting proposal would replace a clumsy and time-consuming alternative that led to hourslong lines and claims of disenfranchisement last fall in the nation's biggest presidential battleground state. That alternative allows voters to go to their election office, register for a mail-in ballot, fill it out on the spot and hand it in. Some county election offices found themselves swamped and unprepared for the influx. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Establishing rules for drop boxes would settle a gray area in state law that led to partisan court battles over whether drop boxes were legal and, if so, what sort of security measures are required. Democratic-controlled counties have embraced the use of drop boxes for mail-in voters, while Republican-controlled counties have generally eschewed them as illegal. Under the bill, the state would provide $2 million for the Department of State to identify electronic poll books that are compatible with other election software. The state would borrow up to $60 million more to help counties purchase them. Electronic poll books — with lists of eligible, registered voters for election workers to use — would replace paper poll lists with a digital system. Voters using mail-in ballots would no longer have to provide an accurate, handwritten date on the return envelope, a requirement that has spawned years of litigation. But the voter would still have to sign the envelope for their ballot to count. Household members and others close to a voter would be permitted to return their mail-in ballots — current law requires most voters to return their own ballots. County workers could begin to process mail-in ballots a week before the election, taking ballots out of envelopes and scanning them if the scanner is able to scan the ballot without tabulating or recording the vote until Election Day. Many counties have long hoped for more time to begin to process the ballots in advance as a way to lessen the Election Day workload. Asked if Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supports McClinton's proposal, his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said the governor wants to improve the safety and security of elections 'while enfranchising voters' and that his team 'will continue working with both legislative chambers toward bipartisan reforms that protect our democratic process for all eligible Pennsylvanians.'
