Pennsylvania HB 499: 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, further providing for applications for official absentee ballots, for date of application for absentee ballot, for envelopes for official absentee ballots and for voting by absentee electors and providing for secure ballot return receptacles; and, in voting by qualified mail-in electors, further providing for applications for official mail-in ballots, for date of application for mail-in ballot, for approval of application for mail-in ballot, for envelopes for official mail-in ballots and for voting by mail-in electors.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 488
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 499
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, GIRAL, PIELLI, VENKAT, PROBST, SANCHEZ,
KHAN, SCHLOSSBERG, BOROWSKI, STEELE AND CERRATO,
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 5, 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 voting by qualified absentee electors, further
providing for applications for official absentee ballots, for
date of application for absentee ballot, for envelopes for
official absentee ballots and for voting by absentee electors
and providing for secure ballot return receptacles; and, in
voting by qualified mail-in electors, further providing for
applications for official mail-in ballots, for date of
application for mail-in ballot, for approval of application
for mail-in ballot, for envelopes for official mail-in
ballots and for voting by mail-in electors.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Sections 1302(e.1) and (k), 1302.1(a), 1304 and
1306(a) introductory paragraph of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, are
amended to read:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

Section 1302. Applications for Official Absentee Ballots.--*
* *
(e.1) Any qualified registered elector who is unable because
of illness or physical disability to attend his or her polling
place on the day of any primary or election or operate a voting
machine and state distinctly and audibly that he or she is
unable to do so as required by section 1218 of this act may at
any time request, with the certification by his or her attending
physician that he or she is permanently disabled and physically
unable to attend the polls or operate a voting machine and make
the distinct and audible statement required by section 1218
appended to the application hereinbefore required, to be placed
on [a permanently] an annual disabled absentee ballot list file.
An absentee ballot application shall be mailed to every [such]
person otherwise eligible to receive one, by the first Monday in
February each year, or within forty-eight hours of receipt of
the request, whichever is later, so long as he or she does not
lose his or her voting rights by failure to vote as otherwise
required by this act. [Such] The person shall not be required to
file a physician's certificate of disability with each
application as required in subsection (e) of this section.
Should [any such] a person lose his or her disability he or she
shall inform the county board of elections of the county of his
or her residence. An absentee ballot application mailed to an
elector under this section, which is completed and timely
returned by the elector, shall serve as an application for any
and all primary, general or special elections to be held in the
remainder of that calendar year and for all special elections to
be held before the third Monday in February of the succeeding
year. The transfer of a qualified registered elector on [a
20250HB0499PN0488 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

permanently] an annual disabled absentee ballot list from one
county to another county shall only be permitted upon the
request of the qualified registered elector.
* * *
(k) The Secretary of the Commonwealth may develop an
electronic system through which all qualified electors may apply
for an absentee ballot and request [permanent] annual absentee
voter status under subsection (e.1), provided the system is able
to capture a digitized or electronic signature of the applicant.
A county board of elections shall treat any application or
request received through the electronic system as if the
application or request had been submitted on a paper form or any
other format used by the county.
Section 1302.1. Date of Application for Absentee Ballot.--
(a) Except as provided in subsection (a.3), applications for
absentee ballots shall be received in the office of the county
board of elections not earlier than fifty (50) days before the
primary or election, except that if a county board of elections
determines that it would be appropriate to its operational
needs, any applications for absentee ballots received more than
fifty (50) days before the primary or election may be processed
before that time. Applications for absentee ballots that are
made in person at a county