Pa. House panel approves proposal to give election workers a week to process mail-in ballots

County election officials would get up to a week to prepare mail-in ballots for counting under legislation now headed to the state House for consideration.

The process of removing vote-by-mail ballots from their envelopes has delayed election results since 2020, when Pennsylvanians first had the option to cast absentee ballots without an excuse for not voting in person.

Under Act 77, signed into law in 2019, county election workers have been allowed to begin pre-canvassing mail-in ballots only after polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day. Election officials and county commissioners have consistently said more time is needed to ensure election results can be reported in a timely manner.

House Bill 37, introduced by Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), would allow county boards of elections to meet up to seven days before an election to pre-canvass ballots.




https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/house-panel-approves-proposal-to-give-election-workers-a-week-to-process-mail-in-ballots/