Philadelphia, PA – February 17, 2021 − State Senator Christine Tartaglione has been appointed by Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa as a member of the Pennsylvania Election Law Advisory Board, a 23-member bipartisan panel created by the legislature in 2020 to review and make recommendations to improve the Pennsylvania Election Code.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our system of self-government as Americans and as Pennsylvanians. I am honored that Leader Costa has appointed me to serve on the Election Law Advisory Board, which will work to maintain the integrity and improve the efficiency of all elections in the Commonwealth,” Senator Tartaglione said.
The Election Law Advisory Board exists under Article XIII-E of the Election Code and was added to the code on March 27, 2020. The panel consists of the Secretary of State or the secretary’s designee, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate or designee, the Minority Leader of the Senate or designee, the Speaker of the House or designee, and the Minority Leader of the House or designee. It also consists of one appointee by the Governor from each of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts, with no more than half of the appointees representing the same political party.
The duties of the board are to study the entirety of the Election Code and identify statutory language to repeal, modify, or update; to collaborate with other agencies and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth to study election-related issues; to study the development of new election technology and voting machines; and to evaluate and make recommendations on improving the electoral process in the Commonwealth and implementing best practices identified to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the electoral process.
The board is further charged with publishing, by the end of each fiscal year, extensive and detailed findings on the Joint State Government Commission’s publicly accessible website. These findings are to be made available in electronic format to the Office of the Governor and members of the General Assembly.
Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence has been named chairperson of the board by a unanimous vote of board members.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or William.Kenny@pasenate.com.