State senate committee not giving up on election bill after failed hearing

By Christen Smith | The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA – A key Pennsylvania Republican senator said Thursday he’s still moving forward on a bipartisan election reform bill, even after the governor’s administration rebuffed his invitation to discuss the measure during a committee hearing earlier this week.

Senate Bill 878, authored by State Government Committee Chairmen Dave Argall, R-Pottsville, and Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, would give election workers three days to pre-canvass mail-in ballots, beef up drop box security, and move back deadlines to better assist counties in processing millions of registration and mail-in ballot requests.

“Work continues with Senator Street and interested stakeholders in the hopes of moving Senate Bill 878 soon – with possible amendments to address some of the concerns with the bill,” he told The Center Square on Thursday. “Election reform will continue to be my top priority for the Senate State Government Committee.”

It’s the second major election reform bill pending in the Legislature. House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove, R-York, likewise reintroduced his measure that offers similar reforms, along with a voter ID provision, with the caveat that the window for negotiating a final deal is dwindling ahead of the 2022 election cycle.

“We have a major election year next year, and I will not allow massive changes next year,” he said last month.
Argall imposed no similar timeline on his bill, though he chastised the Department of State for not appearing in person before his committee to discuss their concerns on Tuesday.

“Instead of working with us … we read about the governor’s threats to veto this bipartisan bill in the newspapers,” he said. “It’s a very odd way to communicate with us.”

The department provided The Center Square a copy of the letter, dated Sept. 23, sent to Argall and other committee members outlining their issues with the legislation. Wanda Murren, a department spokesperson, said lawmakers could submit additional questions in writing to acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid.
Among the concerns, the department said requiring manned ballot drop boxes proves too onerous for all 67 counties and contradicts policy set in 13 other states.

Eliminating the permanent mail-in list for voters could also lead to confusion and extra work, the department said.

Street said he found the department’s letter “encouraging” and expressed optimism that an amendment may alleviate their opposition.

“It’s a less than ideal communications strategy,” he said. “But, I appreciate that the administration has given us some feedback in writing.”

Other committee members were less forgiving, Argall included.

“I cannot understand the unwillingness of the acting secretary to appear today at a time and date set weeks ago,” he said. “If the acting secretary and the governor believe much needed election reforms will occur through stonewalling and press releases, they are 100% wrong.”

Sen. Maria Collett, D-North Wales, accused Argall and other Republicans of engaging in “political theater” despite knowing, long ago, the department had no intention of testifying.

Besides, she added, it’s up to them to design and approve election code changes.

“The Legislature crafts the law,” she said. “Not the administration. The administration doesn’t craft the law, they simply execute it.”

Brokering an election reform deal that Gov. Tom Wolf will sign has so far eluded the General Assembly as accusations about Republicans’ motivations seem to impede negotiations.

But GOP lawmakers insist that their intention is to ease the burden on poll workers that came as an unintended consequence of Act 77, the 2019 law that expanded mail-in voting to most residents with no excuse necessary.

They also point to a crisis in confidence among voters, many of whom “flood their offices” with phone calls and emails relaying concerns about elections security.

Many of these issues were addressed in House Bill 1300, Grove’s original reform bill, that Wolf vetoed without ever reading, Republicans allege.

“It’s either the administration wants to be apart of the process or not,” said Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-Jacobus, on Tuesday. “It’s hard to work when you don’t show up.”