HB 473 — 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; and, in voting by qualified mail-in electors, further providing for applications for official mail-in ballots.

PRINTER'S NO.   456

                         THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                             HOUSE BILL
                             No. 473
                                                   Session of
                                                     2025

     INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, HILL-EVANS, GIRAL, PIELLI, SANCHEZ,
        GUENST, SCHLOSSBERG, STEELE AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ,
        FEBRUARY 4, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 4, 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 applications for official absentee ballots;
13      and, in voting by qualified mail-in electors, further
14      providing for applications for official mail-in ballots.
15      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
16   hereby enacts as follows:
17         Section 1.     Section 1302(i) of the act of June 3, 1937
18   (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is
19   amended by adding a paragraph to read:
20         Section 1302.     Applications for Official Absentee Ballots.--*
21   * *
22         (i)   * * *
23         (1.1)   No private organization or individual, other than the
 1   Secretary of the Commonwealth, may send an application for an
 2   absentee ballot to a qualified registered elector by mail or
 3   electronic means.
 4      * * *
 5      Section 2.     Section 1302-D(f) and (g) of the act are amended
 6   to read:
 7   Section 1302-D.      Applications for official mail-in ballots.
 8      * * *
 9      (f)     Form.--
10            (1)   Application for an official mail-in ballot shall be
11      on physical and electronic forms prescribed by the Secretary
12      of the Commonwealth. The application shall state that a voter
13      who applies for a mail-in ballot under section 1301-D shall
14      not be eligible to vote at a polling place on election day
15      unless the elector brings the elector's mail-in ballot to the
16      elector's polling place, remits the ballot and the envelope
17      containing the declaration of the elector to the judge of
18      elections to be spoiled and signs a statement subject to the
19      penalties under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn
20      falsification to authorities) to the same effect.
21            (2)   The physical application forms shall be made freely
22      available to the public at county board of elections,
23      municipal buildings and at other locations designated by the
24      Secretary of the Commonwealth. The electronic application
25      forms shall be made freely available to the public through
26      publicly accessible means. No written application or personal
27      request shall be necessary to receive or access the
28      application forms.
29            (3)   No private organization or individual, other than
30      the Secretary of the Commonwealth, may send an application

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 1    for an official mail-in ballot to an elector by mail or
 2    electronic means.
 3          (4)     Copies and records of all completed physical and
 4    electronic applications for official mail-in ballots shall be
 5    retained by the county board of elections.
 6    (g)   Permanent mail-in voting list.--
 7          (1)   [Any] All qualified registered [elector may request
 8    to] electors shall be placed on a permanent mail-in ballot
 9    list file at any time during the calendar year. A mail-in
10    ballot application shall be mailed by the Secretary of the
11    Commonwealth to every person otherwise eligible to receive a
12    mail-in ballot application by the first Monday in February
13    each year or within 48 hours of receipt [of the request] and
14    approval of an application for voter registration, whichever
15    is later, so long as the person does not lose the person's
16    voting rights by failure to vote as otherwise required by
17    this act. A mail-in ballot application mailed to an elector
18    under this section, which is completed and timely returned by
19    the elector, shall serve as an application for any and all
20    primary, general or special elections to be held in the
21    remainder of that calendar year and for all special elections
22    to be held before the third Monday in February of the
23    succeeding year.
24          (1.1)    A qualified registered elector shall be removed
25    from the permanent mail-in voter list file upon the request
26    of the qualified registered elector.
27          (2)   The Secretary of the Commonwealth may develop an
28    electronic system through which all qualified electors may
29    apply for a mail-in ballot and request permanent mail-in
30    voter status under this section, provided the system is able

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 1    to capture a digitized or electronic signature of the
 2    applicant.
 3        (2.1)     A county board of elections shall treat an
 4    application or request received through the electronic system
 5    as if the application or request had been submitted on a
 6    paper form or any other format used by the county.
 7        [(3)     The transfer of a qualified registered elector on a
 8    permanent mail-in voting list from one county to another
 9    county shall only be permitted upon the request of the
10    qualified registered elector.]
11    Section 3.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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