HB 37 — 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 canvassing of official absentee ballots and mail-in ballots; and, in Election Integrity Grant Program, further providing for funding for elections.

PRINTER'S NO.   16

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 37
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY CONKLIN, VENKAT, RABB, SANCHEZ, KINKEAD, PIELLI,
        HANBIDGE, HILL-EVANS, CIRESI, HADDOCK, SCHLOSSBERG, FRANKEL,
        KHAN, FIEDLER, HARKINS, SHUSTERMAN, FREEMAN, WARREN AND
        FLEMING, JANUARY 10, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 10, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
 2      "An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
 3      special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
 4      primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
 5      and defining membership of county boards of elections;
 6      imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
 7      courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
 8      imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
 9      revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
10      repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
11      elections," in voting by qualified absentee electors, further
12      providing for canvassing of official absentee ballots and
13      mail-in ballots; and, in Election Integrity Grant Program,
14      further providing for funding for elections.
15      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
16   hereby enacts as follows:
17      Section 1.     Sections 1308(g)(1.1) and 1602-A(j)(1) of the act
18   of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania
19   Election Code, are amended to read:
20      Section 1308.     Canvassing of Official Absentee Ballots and
21   Mail-in Ballots.--* * *
22      (g)   * * *
23      (1.1)   The county board of elections shall meet no earlier
 1   than [seven o'clock A.M. on] seven (7) days prior to election
 2   day to pre-canvass all ballots received prior to the meeting. A
 3   county board of elections shall provide at least forty-eight
 4   hours' notice of a pre-canvass meeting by publicly posting a
 5   notice of a pre-canvass meeting on its publicly accessible
 6   Internet website. One authorized representative of each
 7   candidate in an election and one representative from each
 8   political party shall be permitted to remain in the room in
 9   which the absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are pre-
10   canvassed. No person observing, attending or participating in a
11   pre-canvass meeting may disclose the results of any portion of
12   any pre-canvass meeting prior to the close of the polls.
13      * * *
14   Section 1602-A.     Funding for elections.
15      * * *
16      (j)   Grant agreement.--The grant agreement between the
17   department and the county under this section shall include the
18   following requirements for counties:
19            [(1)    The county shall begin pre-canvassing at 7 a.m. on
20      election day and shall continue without interruption until
21      each mail-in ballot and absentee ballot received by 7 a.m. on
22      election day is pre-canvassed.]
23            * * *
24      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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