PA Early Voting Process Would Expand Under House Bill

HARRISBURG, PA — Early voting in Pennsylvania would become much easier under legislation a state lawmaker plans to introduce.

Democratic Rep. Daniel Deasy of Allegheny County's impending bill would enable county boards of election to establish early voting sites that would open 15 days before primary and general election dates. The sites would have uniform operating days and hours and would be required to be open at least eight hours on each weekday and a total of eight hours on weekends.

Deasy said his legislation would require county election board to monitor early voters to ensure they don't vote again at another early voting site or on Election Day.

"Pennsylvania only has early voting by allowing voters to request a mail-in ballot at a county elections office, wait for it to get approved on the spot, fill it out, and turn it back in immediately," Deasy wrote in a memo to colleagues. "I propose a devoted system of true early voting, at more locations, which will increase voting access for our constituents."

Deasy noted that early voting has become more common nationwide. He cited information from the United States Election Project indicating 35 percent of votes cast in 2020 were from in-person early voting.