Harrisburg, PA- This week the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus filed seven amendments to a package of legislation seeking to alter the state’s election code to allow open primaries. Each amendment was filed by a separate PAFC member to address fundamental election integrity issues plaguing Pennsylvania elections.
"Any effort that opens the election code must include these fundamental integrity reforms demanded by voters across the state", said PA Freedom Caucus Chair Rep Dawn Keefer (R-York). "We owe our citizens lawful, safe, and secure elections"
The amendments are as follows:
Require all voters to present identification in each election
Require all mail-in and absentee ballots’ signatures be compared to the signature of record, rejected if comparison is insufficient (with notice to voter and opportunity to provide proof of ID).
Ban drop-boxes; Require all ballots be returned either through mail or in person to a permanent office of the board of elections during regular business hours
Repeal mail-in ballot voting and utilize absentee only ballots
Cleanup the voter rolls
All ballots must be printed on paper with security watermark
All absentee and mail in ballots must be returned to and canvassed at the voter’s precinct
Rep Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler, Lawrence), organized his fellow PA Freedom Caucus Members in the effort. “These amendments are necessary in order to ensure the security of our elections. I will continue to focus my efforts on ensuring that cheating in our elections will never happen again. This is a top priority for the PA Freedom Caucus”.
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I appreciate the efforts to bring some better parameters to PA voting, however the biggest issue that needs to be addressed before anything else can be adjusted is the illegal passing of Act 77. It is high time blame needs to stop being something worried about and meaningful action is taking place to repeal Act 77. As constituents we really are not worried about who is to blame for this, or that it was highjacked and twisted into something other than what was voted for. Excuse and reason time is over, it is time to repeal it. Once that is done, then we will be willing to support measures such as this to see meaningful change come to our election system. Until we fix the mistakes of the past we will never see a free and fair election in PA again. So yes I applaud the work of the caucus and the people fighting in it, but lets put our focus on the most important thing and repeal Act 77.
PA Freedom Caucus ROCKS!
I know these were poison pills on Dem efforts to disrupt our Primaries, but you guys get it, and do it. Thank you for your diligence.