Pennsylvania HB 1235: An Act amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, in voting by qualified absentee electors, providing for absentee ballots for electors who are blind, visually impaired or disabled.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1371
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1235
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY BURNS, K.HARRIS, HANBIDGE, STEELE, OTTEN, MERSKI,
M. MACKENZIE, NEILSON, KUZMA, HADDOCK, DONAHUE AND CIRESI,
APRIL 15, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 15, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
"An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
and defining membership of county boards of elections;
imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
elections," in electronic voting systems, further providing
for definitions and for supplies and preparation of the
voting system and of polling places and providing for pre-
election logic and accuracy testing.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1101-A of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is
amended by adding definitions to read:
Section 1101-A. Definitions.--As used in this article:
* * *
"Ballot set" means one of any number of ballot types each
used for a particular method of voting, including absentee
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ballot voting, mail-in ballot voting, voting in-person at a
polling place and voting by emergency paper ballot.
"Ballot style" means a ballot's particular array of election
contests and candidates specific to an election district. Each
ballot set shall comprise ballots with various ballot styles.
* * *
Section 2. Section 1110-A(d) and (e) of the act are amended
to read:
Section 1110-A. Supplies; Preparation of the Voting System
and of Polling Places.--* * *
[(d) On or before the fortieth day preceding any election,
the county board of elections shall mail to the chairman of the
county committee of each political party which shall be entitled
under existing laws to participate in primary elections within
the county, and to the chairman or presiding officer of any
organization of citizens within the county which has as its
purpose or among its purposes the investigation or prosecution
of election frauds and which has registered its name and address
and the names of its principal officers with the county board of
elections at least fifty days before the election, a written
notice stating the times when and the place or places where
preparation of the system and its components for use in the
several election districts in the county or municipality will be
started. One representative of each such political party,
certified by the respective chairman of the county committee of
such party, and one representative of each such organization of
citizens, certified by the respective chairman or presiding
officer of such organization shall be entitled to be present
during the preparation of the voting system and its components
and to see that they are properly prepared and are in proper
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condition and order for use. Such representatives shall not
interfere with the preparation of the system and its components,
and the county board may make reasonable rules and regulations
governing the conduct of such representatives.
(e) Prior to the delivery of any automatic tabulating
equipment to any election district the county board of elections
shall examine or cause to have examined such equipment and shall
make a certificate stating:
(1) the identifying number and election district designation
of the equipment;
(2) that the equipment is suitable for use in the particular
election district designated;
(3) that the equipment has been tested to ascertain that it
will accurately compute the votes cast for all offices and all
questions;
(4) that the offices and questions on the official ballot
correspond in all respects with the ballot labels assigned to
such particular election district;
(5) that the public counter and the counters for each
candidate position and each question are all set at zero and
that element that generates a printed record of the results of
the election is functioning correctly; and
(6) the number on the seal with which the equipment is
sealed.]
* * *
Section 3. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 1110.1-A. Pre-Election Logic and Accuracy Testing.--
(a) Prior to an election in which an electronic voting system
is to be used, the county board of elections shall complete
logic and accuracy testing for the electronic voting system in
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accordance wi