The state’s new election reforms add convenience and security for everyone, thanks to Gov. Tom Wolf signing into law Act 77 of 2019. The law takes effect next month, in the April 28 primary election.
I would call these changes voter friendly because they create a new option to vote by mail up to 50 days before an election and to be placed on a list to permanently receive a ballot application by mail.
One of the ideas behind this new law is to increase voter turnout because it also provides more time to register to vote. The deadline to register to vote is now 15 days instead of 30 days before an election.
Pennsylvania joins 31 other states and Washington, D.C., with mail-in voting.
All voters can request and submit their mail-in or absentee ballot up to 50 days before the election, which is the longest vote by mail period in the country.
Your completed application must be received in your county election office by 5 p.m. on April 21. Return your voted absentee or mail-in ballot so it arrives in your county election office by 8 p.m. on April 28.
For shorter lines on election day, it’s easier to vote by mail by either mail-in ballot or absentee ballot. If you are eligible to vote using an absentee ballot in the primary election on April 28, you must first request a ballot which can be done online, by mail or in person at your county election office.
Voters submitted 195,378 absentee ballots in 2018, but more than 8,162 — more than 4% — missed the deadline and were rejected.
The law also authorizes the governor to pursue a $90 million dollar bond to reimburse counties for 60 percent of their actual costs to replace voting systems. In April 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of State informed counties they must select the new voting systems by the end of 2019 and the new system must be in place by the April 2020 primary election, which is just around the corner.
According to reports, 52 counties, or 78%, have acted toward selecting a new voting system. And 46 counties, or 68%, used their new voting system in the last November general election.
In addition, college students can vote at their school address and can use mail-in ballot or vote in person on election day. To vote at a student’s prior home address they can use an absentee ballot or vote in person on election day.
You can learn more information by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of State website www.dos.pa.gov.
