Bill Text: PA HB1357 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Providing for emergency paper ballots.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-04-27 - Referred to STATE GOVERNMENT [HB1357 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB1357-Introduced.html

---

PRINTER'S NO. 1642
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1357 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY QUINN, DALEY, DeLUCA, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, MELIO, MENSCH, MOUL, PYLE, ROHRER, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, STERN, SWANGER AND YOUNGBLOOD, APRIL 27, 2009
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 27, 2009
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," providing for emergency paper ballots.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1120-A of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code,
added July 11, 1980 (P.L.600, No.128), is amended to read:
Section 1120-A. Unofficial Ballot Labels; Repair [and];
Alternate Use of Paper Ballots; and Emergency Paper Ballots.--
(a) If ballot labels for an election district at which an
electronic voting system is to be used, shall not be delivered
to the election officers of that district as required by section
1110-A, the judge of election of such district shall cause other
labels to be prepared, printed, or written, as nearly in the
form of official ballot labels as practicable, and the election
officers shall cause the labels so substituted, to be used at
the election insofar as is possible in the same manner as the
official labels. Such labels, so substituted, shall be known as
unofficial ballot labels.
(b) If any electronic voting system or any component thereof
being used in any election shall become inoperable during such
election, it shall, if possible, be repaired or another machine
substituted by the custodian or county board of elections as
promptly as possible, for which purpose the county board may
purchase as many extra systems or system components as it may
deem necessary, but in case such repair or substitution cannot
be made, paper ballots, either printed or written and of any
suitable form, may be used for registering votes.
(c) If the wait time to vote at any polling place in any
election exceeds one-half hour, voters in line shall be offered
the opportunity to register their votes on an emergency paper
ballot. Those voters who wish to register their votes on a paper
ballot shall, after signing the poll book and being registered
on the list of voters, be given an emergency paper ballot. After
the voter marks his or her ballot and seals it in the envelope,
the ballot shall be deposited in a secure container labeled
"emergency paper ballots," kept separate from provisional
ballots, and counted in the polling place on election night
after the close of the polls.
(d) The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall mandate that
each county shall print emergency paper ballots in a number
equal to or greater than twenty (20) per centum of the number of
20090HB1357PN1642 - 2 -
registered electors of each party in each election district at
least thirty days before every primary and general election and
shall report this number to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall have the authority and
discretion to increase this number, should his or her judgment
be that it is insufficient to meet the needs of any of the
election districts. Should the supply of emergency ballots at
any polling place become depleted, election officials shall
print or copy additional emergency ballots. Emergency paper
ballots shall be available in every polling place from the
opening of the polling place to the closing of the polling place
on each primary and general election day.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20090HB1357PN1642 - 3 -