James Votes to Protect Elections, Give Voters Convenience

October 29, 2019

HARRISBURG – Rep. Lee James (R-Venango/Butler) issued the following statement after joining a majority of his colleagues in voting for legislation to modernize elections in the Commonwealth which would not go into effect until after April 28, 2020:

“The bill calls for $90 million in bonds to pay for new voting machines to protect the votes of all Pennsylvanians in the 2020 election and beyond. Currently, the Commonwealth is both an easy target and a desirable one for election hackers as it’s a swing state that could have a real impact on the presidential election.

“In addition to preserving the integrity of all elections in the state, the bill would also provide increased convenience to voters by affording them more opportunities. Most notably, any qualified voter would be able to vote by mail instead of appearing at a polling place on Election Day. This is a critical change, especially for members of our communities who may struggle, for any reason, to travel to their polling place during voting hours. Also, the voter registration deadline would be changed from 30 days prior to an election to 15 days – giving voters more than two extra weeks to register.

“This bill is a true win for Commonwealth voters for many reasons, and I look forward to the Senate’s support so it can be passed to the governor for his signature.”

Representative Lee James
64th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
RepJames.com / Facebook.com/RepLeeJames