From PA Voice (https://www.pennsylvaniavoice.org/):
Voting security and election reform once again took center stage in Harrisburg last week. Our commonwealth continues to see more activity on these issues than it has in years, and that’s a good thing.
Pennsylvania’s “modern” election system is governed by an election code that hasn’t been updated in more than 60 years, and it’s dominated by aging machines that are prone to malfunction or failure or vulnerable to interference.
In January, a bipartisan group of state senators announced a package of bills that will initiate the process of making long-needed reforms to update Pennsylvania’s election system. Those measures have finally been introduced (S.B. 411 to S.B. 422) and are ready for review.
Many of the reforms, such as making the use of absentee ballots less restrictive to allow voters to vote early and by mail, mirror proposals Keystone Votes has been working to advance for years.
Of course, with legislation, the devil is always in the details. Expect hearings on these proposals, as promised by legislative leaders, and know that Keystone Votes will continue its work to ensure voters’ voices are heard.
Read what we had to say about the issue in this Williamsport Sun-Gazette opinion piece.
This latest push to overhaul and modernize Pennsylvania’s election system has been spurred in part by concerns about security. Those discussions continue as well.
The Senate State Government Committee convened a hearing to examine issues related to voting security and funding support for counties that are working to replace vulnerable machines that in some cases are nearly 20 years old.
Pennsylvania’s elections could be the easiest target for foreign influence in 2020 unless the commonwealth moves to voter-verifiable paper ballots that allows for audits.
According to the Department of State, 21 counties, or nearly one-third of Pennsylvania counties, already have taken official action toward acquiring new voting systems, either through a vote to purchase or lease a system, or a vote to approve funding.
Keystone Votes continues to push for full funding to help counties get new systems in place before the 2020 elections to ensure every vote truly counts.
Take a moment to read our column in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star to learn more about these issues. As voting security and election reform continue to advance, we will keep you posted.
Nothing is more fundamental to the way our government operates than demonstrating to the public that their votes are being captured and counted as intended, that the outcomes are correct, and that our elections are safe and secure.
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