Pennsylvania Statutes § 2624 Voting standards development board
Statute Text
(a)
There is hereby established within the Department of State a Voting Standards Development Board comprised of seven members for the purpose of developing uniform and nondiscriminatory standards that define what constitutes a vote.
(b)
The board shall be comprised of the following members:
(1)
The Secretary of the Commonwealth or his designee.
(2)
Two county directors of election appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall be from a county in which votes are cast on paper ballots.
(3)
One county director of elections appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, who shall be from a county in which votes are cast on punch card voting systems.
(4)
Two county directors of election appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be from a county in which votes are cast on direct recording electronic voting systems.
(5)
One county director of elections appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be from a county in which votes are cast on optical scan voting systems.
(c)
The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall serve as chair of the board. Each member shall serve until the expiration of his term. A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
(d)
The board shall meet as needed to fulfill the requirements of this section.
(e)
Four members of the board shall constitute a quorum, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the board is required for the issuance of standards in accordance with subsection (h).
(f)
The board may establish any rules necessary for its operation, consistent with the provisions of subsection (e).
(g)
The members of the board shall receive no compensation for their services on the board but shall be reimbursed by the department for ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
(h)
(1)
The board shall have the power and duty to develop uniform and nondiscriminatory standards that define what constitutes a valid vote cast through a paper ballot and what constitutes a valid vote through each type of electronic voting system used in the Commonwealth. On or before July 1, 2003, the board shall adopt standards for paper ballots and each type of electronic voting system. The department shall cause these standards to be published as a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(2)
The standards adopted by the board and published by the Department of State in the Pennsylvania Bulletin Volume 33 Number 31 on August 2, 2003, shall[, for the general election in 2004 and any primary, municipal, special and general election in 2006, 2007, 2009 and, 2010, 2011 and 2012,] have the force and effect of law
[.]
until such time as a category of voting system, other than the paper ballot or electronic voting system as defined in section 1101-A, is approved by the secretary for use in this Commonwealth under section 201(b). The secretary shall publish the approval as a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
History
Amended by
P.L.
1937, June 3, P.L. 1333, art. II, §204, added 2002, Dec. 9, P.L. 1246, No. 150, § 3, imd. effective. Amended 2006 , May 11, P.L. 178, No. 45 , § 1 , imd. effective; 2009, July 14, P.L. 86, No. 20, § 2, effective in 60 days [Sept. 14, 2009]; 2011, May 13, P.L. 13, No. 3, § 1, imd. effective.
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