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Lemmond Bill to Implement New Voting Standards
Approved by Senate
HARRISBURG -- With
the November 2 presidential election looming, the state Senate on Monday
approved legislation sponsored by Senator Charles D. Lemmond (R-20) that would
give the force and effect of law to standards that define what constitutes a
vote in Pennsylvania for this year’s General Election.
The Senate’s action was the
latest response to the Federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, which requires
that each state “adopt uniform and nondiscriminatory standards that define what
constitute a vote and what will be counted as a vote for each category of voting
system used in the State.”
Senator Lemmond, Chairman of
the Senate State Government Committee which oversees election legislation, said
Senate Bill 1222 will help Pennsylvania avoid the confusion that Florida
experienced in its close 2000 presidential election.
“It is very important that we
put in place standards for what constitutes a vote and that we do it before a
controversy arises, not after,” said Senator Lemmond. “These standards will
give counties a uniform blueprint to follow so that every vote is counted.”
These standards were adopted
in 2003 by the Voting Standards Development Board within the Pennsylvania
Department of State, to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act.
However, the standards were challenged in the Commonwealth Court, which ruled
them to be a statement of policy and not binding regulations.
Senate Bill 1222 would make
the standards legally binding across Pennsylvania, Senator Lemmond said. The
standards apply only to the 2004 federal election.
“It looks like we could have a
close presidential election in Pennsylvania this year, and so it’s critical that
we have these standards in place by then,” said Senator Lemmond. “If the
standards prove unnecessarily burdensome to counties, we can review them prior
to the 2006 federal elections.”
Senate Bill 1222 will next be
sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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