HB 669 — An Act amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, providing for early voting in elections.

PRINTER'S NO.   676

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 669
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY O'MARA, RABB, VENKAT, PIELLI, SANCHEZ, KINKEAD,
        HANBIDGE, HILL-EVANS, CIRESI, BOROWSKI, GUENST, HADDOCK,
        DONAHUE, SCHLOSSBERG, BRENNAN, FRANKEL, KHAN, FIEDLER,
        SHUSTERMAN, FREEMAN, WARREN, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, FLEMING, OTTEN,
        WEBSTER, DEASY, CERRATO, GREEN AND BOYD, FEBRUARY 20, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 20, 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," providing for early voting in elections.
12      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13   hereby enacts as follows:
14      Section 1.     The act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known
15   as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is amended by adding an
16   article to read:
17                               ARTICLE XII-A
18                         EARLY VOTING IN ELECTIONS
19   Section 1201-A.    Conduct of early voting.
20      (a)   Authority to conduct.--Each county board shall provide
21   for a period of early voting in elections as provided for in
 1   this article.
 2      (b)   Issuance of ballots and voting booths.--
 3            (1)   If a request is made to vote early by a registered
 4      elector, the county board shall issue a ballot to the
 5      registered elector, except in districts where voting machines
 6      are used in accordance with Article XI, for in-person early
 7      voting. Except as otherwise provided in this article, all
 8      ballots issued to registered electors for early voting must
 9      be voted on the premises of the county board and returned to
10      the county board.
11            (2)   On the dates for early voting prescribed in section
12      1203-A, each county board shall provide voting booths with
13      voting machines and other suitable equipment for voting on
14      the premises of the county board and at any other early
15      voting polling place designated by the county board for the
16      conduct of early voting in accordance with this article.
17      (c)   Maintenance of list.--The county board shall maintain a
18   list of all registered electors in each election district who
19   vote during the early voting period. The list must be maintained
20   for each election district in the county. Before the opening of
21   the polls on election day, the county board shall deliver to the
22   judges of elections in each election district the list of
23   registered electors who have voted by early ballot.
24   Section 1202-A.    Permanent polling places for early voting.
25      The following shall apply:
26            (1)   A county board may establish permanent polling
27      places for in-person early voting at locations throughout the
28      county in which the county board has jurisdiction, including,
29      but not limited to, any school, county building or any other
30      office or building owned or maintained by the county. A

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 1    registered elector entitled to early voting may do so at any
 2    polling place established by the county board for early
 3    voting.
 4        (2)   During each election, the county board, in a county
 5    with a population of more than 250,000, shall establish at
 6    least one permanent polling place for in-person early voting
 7    at a location within each of the three largest municipalities
 8    within the county board's jurisdiction. If the population of
 9    any of the three largest municipalities in the county is more
10    than 80,000, the county board shall establish at least two
11    permanent polling places within the municipality. All
12    population figures shall be determined by the most recent
13    Federal decennial census.
14        (3)   During each election, the county board in a county
15    with a municipality with a population of more than 100,000,
16    shall establish at least three permanent polling places for
17    in-person early voting.
18        (4)   During each election, the county board in a county
19    with a population of more than 100,000 but less than 250,000,
20    shall establish at least one permanent polling place for in-
21    person early voting.
22        (5)   The location for early voting may be the county
23    board's main office or any other location designated by the
24    county board for early voting. The county board may designate
25    additional sites for in-person early voting as the county
26    board deems appropriate.
27        (6)   A permanent polling place designated for early
28    voting in accordance with this section may not be located
29    within 1.5 miles of another permanent polling place required
30    under this section, unless the permanent polling place is

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 1      within a municipality with a population of 500,000 or more.
 2            (7)   All population figures enumerated in this section
 3      shall be determined by the most recent Federal decennial
 4      census.
 5   Section 1203-A.       Period for early voting.
 6      (a)   Commencement and end of early voting.--The period for
 7   in-person early voting shall begin the 30th day preceding the
 8   date of an election and extend through the end of the day before
 9   election day.
10      (b)   Schedules of early voting.--Except as provided under
11   subsection (c), the following apply:
12            (1)   Except as provided under paragraphs (2) and (3), a
13      permanent polling place for early voting must remain open
14      beginning the 30th day before an election through the end of
15      the day before election day as follows:
16                  (i)    during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 9
17            a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays; and
18                  (ii)   during the hours of 9 a.m. to 12 noon on
19            Saturdays and holidays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
20            (2)   Eight days before election day a permanent polling
21      place for early voting must remain open during the hours of
22      8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
23            (3)   In addition to the hours prescribed under paragraphs
24      (1) and (2), a permanent polling place designated by a county
25      board under section 1202-A must remain open for a total of at
26      least eight hours on any holiday during the early voting
27      period and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend
28      during the early voting period.
29      (c)   Emergency closure of polling place.--Notwithstanding
30   subsection (b), a county board may close an early voting polling

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 1   place if the building in which the polling place is located has
 2   been closed by a State, county or local agency in response to a
 3   severe weather emergency or other emergency. The county board
 4   shall notify the Secretary of the Commonwealth of any closure
 5   and shall make reasonable efforts to provide notice to the
 6   public of an alternative polling place for early voting.
 7   Section 1204-A.   Designation of temporary polling places.
 8      (a)   Temporary polling places.--In addition to permanent
 9   polling places for early voting under section 1202-A, the county
10   board may establish temporary polling places for early voting.
11      (b)   Applicability of schedule.--The schedules for the
12   conduct of early voting under section 1203-A(b) shall not apply
13   to temporary polling places. Early voting at temporary polling
14   places may be conducted on any one or more days and during any
15   hours within the early voting period established for in-person
16   early voting under section 1203-A(b), as determined by the
17   county board. The schedules for the conduct of early voting at a
18   temporary polling place do not need to be uniform among the
19   temporary polling places.
20   Section 1205-A.   Use of public buildings as polling places.
21      Upon request by a county board, the governing body of a
22   municipality shall make public buildings within the county
23   available as permanent or temporary early voting polling places
24   without charge. Any request to use a public building shall
25   include reasonably necessary time before and after the period
26   that early voting will be conducted at the public building. A
27   municipality making a public building available as a permanent
28   or temporary early voting polling place shall ensure that any
29   portion of the building made available is accessible to voters
30   with disabilities and elderly voters.

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 1   Section 1206-A.     Publication of early voting locations and
 2                  schedules.
 3      (a)     Notice.--During the week immediately preceding the
 4   commencement of early voting and at least once each week during
 5   the period of early voting, the county board shall publish in a
 6   newspaper of general circulation in the county a schedule
 7   stating:
 8            (1)   the location of each permanent and temporary early
 9      voting polling place and the election districts served by
10      each such polling place; and
11            (2)   the dates and hours that early voting will be
12      conducted at each temporary early voting polling place.
13      (b)     Posting requirements.--Each county board shall post a
14   copy of the schedule at an office or other location that is to
15   be used as a temporary early voting polling place. The schedule
16   must be posted continuously for a period beginning not later
17   than the 10th day before the commencement of early voting and
18   ending on the last day of the early voting period.
19      (c)     Copies.--The county board must make copies of the
20   schedule available to the public in reasonable quantities
21   without charge during the period of posting.
22      (d)     Electronic posting.--If the county board maintains a
23   publicly accessible Internet website, the county board shall
24   make the schedule available on the website.
25      (e)     Prohibition and exception after schedule publication.--
26   Additional permanent early voting polling places may not be
27   established after the schedule is published under this section.
28   Additional temporary early voting polling places may be
29   established after the schedule is published if the temporary
30   early voting polling places are open to all registered electors.

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 1   The locations, dates and hours of all additional temporary early
 2   voting polling places shall be reported to the Secretary of the
 3   Commonwealth and posted on the county board's publicly
 4   accessible Internet website.
 5   Section 1207-A.    List of polling places.
 6      At least 10 days before the commencement of early voting,
 7   each county board shall provide the Secretary of the
 8   Commonwealth with a list of all permanent and temporary early
 9   voting polling places and the hours each polling place will be
10   open for early voting.
11      Section 2.     This act shall take effect immediately.




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