HB 2700

An Act amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions and for publication of notices; in the Secretary of the Commonwealth, further providing for Voting Standards Development Board and for State Plan Advisory Board; in county boards of elections, further providing for article heading, for county boards of elections and membership, for powers and duties of county boards, for records and documents to be open to public inspection and proviso and for watchers or attorneys at sessions of county board, candidates may be present; In district election officers, further providing for article heading, for district election boards and election, for tie votes for judge and inspector, for clerks of election and machine inspectors, for vacancies in election boards, appointment, judge and majority inspector to be members of majority party and minority inspector to be a member of minority party, for election officers to be sworn, for compensation of district election officers, for overseers of election and for appointment of watchers; in election districts and polling places, further providing for polling places to be selected by county board; in dates of elections and primaries and special elections, further providing for general primary, candidates to be nominated and party officers to be elected, providing for nonpartisan ballot candidates, further providing for elections on proposed constitutional amendments, for nominations for special election for representative in Congress, senator and representative in the General Assembly and member of council or legislative body of cities, boroughs, towns and townships, providing for nominations for special election for senator and representative in the General Assembly and member of council or legislative body of cities, boroughs, towns and townships, further providing for number, form and requirements of nomination certificates and for affidavits of candidates; in qualifications of electors, further providing for qualifications of electors at primaries; in party organization, further providing for definition of political parties and political bodies, for only enrolled electors to vote at primaries or hold party offices, repealing provisions related to organization of State committee and rules, to filling of vacancy in State committee, to election of national committeemen, to county committees, rules and other party officers, to selection of delegates to national conventions and forwarding of rules to Secretary of Commonwealth, to delegate and alternate delegate commitments and authorization required and petitions, to who shall be declared elected members of national or State committee and party offices, to party officer elected in case of tie vote and to district committees; in nomination of candidates, further providing for determination and certification of Statewide and countywide parties, for candidates to be nominated and party officers to be elected at primaries, for municipal clerks and party chairman to furnish information as to offices to be filled, repealing provisions related to publication of notice of officers to be nominated and elected and to nomination petitions to be filed, further providing for petition may consist of several sheets and statement of circulator, for affidavits of candidates, repealing provisions related to statement of candidates for delegates to national conventions, further providing for number of signers required for nomination petitions of candidates at primaries, for place and time of filing nomination petitions and filing fees and for which candidates nominated; in ballots, further providing for article heading, for official ballots to be used and for form of official primary ballot, providing for form of official nonpartisan partisan primary ballot, further providing for form of official election ballot, providing for form of official nonpartisan election ballot, further providing for form of ballots, printing ballots, stubs and numbers, repealing provisions related to placement of certain candidates on ballots and voting machines, providing for form of nonpartisan ballots, printing ballots and numbers, further providing for forms of ballots on file and open to public inspection and ballots and diagrams to be furnished to candidates and parties; in voting machines, further providing for definition of terms, for installation of voting machines, for requirements of voting machines, for form of ballot labels on voting machines, for preparation of voting machines by county election boards, for delivery of voting machines and supplies by county election boards to election officers, for election officers and polling places, for delivery of voting machine keys to judge of election, for instruction of voters before an election, for voting by ballot and for unofficial ballot labels and repair of machines or use of paper ballots; in electronic voting systems, further providing for definitions, for requirements of electronic voting systems, for forms, for supplies and preparation of the voting system and of polling places, for election day procedures and the process of voting, for post election procedures and for returns; in preparation for and conduct of primaries and elections, further providing for notice of November elections, for duties of common pleas court on days of primaries and elections, for meeting of election officers on day of election and duties of election officers, for opening of polls, posting cards of instruction and notices of penalties and voters' rights and examination of voting machines, for manner of applying to vote, persons entitled to vote, voter's certificates and entries to be made in district register, numbered lists of voters and challenges, for method of marking ballots and depositing same in districts in which ballots are used, for instructions of voters and manner of voting in districts in which voting machines are used, for duties of election officers after the close of the polls in districts in which ballots are used, for count and return of votes in districts in which ballots are used, for what ballots shall be counted, manner of counting and defective ballots, for signing and disposition of returns, district register and voting check list, posting and return of ballot boxes and for canvass and return of votes in districts in which voting machines are used and providing for general runoff; in voting by qualified absentee electors, further providing for applications for official absentee ballots and for absentee electors files and lists; in returns of primaries and elections, further providing for place of meeting for computation of votes, notice and papers to be prepared and assistants to be sworn and for computation of returns by county board, certification and issuance of certificates of election and repealing provisions related to Secretary of the Commonwealth to certify votes of national delegates and members of State committee and to Secretary of the Commonwealth to certify presidential votes by congressional districts; in recounts and contests, further providing for opening ballot boxes upon petition of electors alleging fraud or error and deposit or bond; and, in penalties, further providing for refusal to administer oath and acting without being sworn, for forging and destroying ballots, for election officers refusing to permit elector to vote in proper party at primaries, for prying into ballots and for unlawful assistance in voting and repealing provisions related to elector voting ballot of wrong party at primary.