| |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY MUSTIO, READSHAW, VULAKOVICH, BOBACK, CLYMER, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, GRELL, HARRIS, HESS, KNOWLES, MILLER, MURT, ROHRER, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH AND STEVENSON, DECEMBER 14, 2009 |
| |
| |
| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, DECEMBER 14, 2009 |
| |
| |
| |
| A RESOLUTION |
| |
1 | Urging Attorney General Tom Corbett and District Attorney |
2 | Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., of Allegheny County to investigate |
3 | absentee voting irregularities in the 2009 municipal election |
4 | and report their findings to the General Assembly. |
5 | WHEREAS, Fair and free elections are necessary to maintaining |
6 | the people's faith in their government and the laws made by |
7 | government; and |
8 | WHEREAS, While in-person voting has been the tradition of our |
9 | nation and State for most of our history, Federal and State laws |
10 | recognize the importance of enabling individuals who are away |
11 | from home on election day to cast a ballot; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Section 14 of Article VII of the Constitution of |
13 | Pennsylvania provides for absentee voting and directs the |
14 | General Assembly to enact laws establishing procedures and time |
15 | frames for casting an absentee ballot; and |
16 | WHEREAS, Individuals in Allegheny County experienced |
17 | difficulty casting absentee ballots in the 2009 municipal |
18 | election; and |
|
1 | WHEREAS, Several voters in Allegheny County reported that |
2 | they applied for an absentee ballot in a timely fashion but did |
3 | not receive the absentee ballot and thus were not able to cast a |
4 | vote in the election; and |
5 | WHEREAS, A number of voters in Allegheny County also reported |
6 | that they did not receive a requested absentee ballot until the |
7 | day on which the ballot must be returned and thus were not able |
8 | to cast a vote in the election; and |
9 | WHEREAS, The disenfranchisement of voters is a serious matter |
10 | which deserves an investigation for the purpose of determining |
11 | the cause or causes; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Section 1642 of the Election Code gives the Attorney |
13 | General and the applicable district attorney concurrent |
14 | jurisdiction to investigate violations of the Election Code that |
15 | occur within a county; therefore be it |
16 | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge Attorney |
17 | General Tom Corbett and District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, |
18 | Jr., of Allegheny County to investigate incidents that occurred |
19 | within the county during the 2009 municipal election involving |
20 | the late delivery or failure to deliver absentee ballots to |
21 | applicants, as well as other incidents that precluded qualified |
22 | electors from casting absentee ballots; and be it further |
23 | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives request that, |
24 | following the investigation, the Attorney General and the |
25 | district attorney of Allegheny County issue recommendations |
26 | regarding Allegheny County's absentee ballot processing and |
27 | dissemination procedures and how these processes might be |
28 | improved to ensure that qualified absentee voters in the county |
29 | are not disenfranchised; and be it further |
30 | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives request that the |
|
1 | Attorney General and the district attorney of Allegheny County |
2 | transmit the recommendations to the Allegheny County Board of |
3 | Elections and the chairperson of the State Government Committee |
4 | of the Senate and the chairperson of the State Government |
5 | Committee of the House of Representatives; and be it further |
6 | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to |
7 | the Honorable Tom Corbett, Attorney General of the Commonwealth, |
8 | and to Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., District Attorney of Allegheny |
9 | County, Courthouse, Grant Sreet, Pittsburgh PA 15219. |
|
