HARRISBURG – Senator Doug Mastriano (PA-33) issued the following statement following today’s ruling from the Commonwealth Court that found Act 77 to be unconstitutional:
“I welcome the eventual end of “no-excuse” mail-in voting in Pennsylvania. I`ve introduced legislation earlier this session that does just that.
“Following its passage in 2019, Act 77 was unconstitutionally rewritten by the Democrat majority Supreme Court, Governor Wolf, and Secretary of State Boockvar. Those changes removed critical safeguards prior to the 2020 election.
“All mail-in ballots were to be signature verified and turned in by Election Day to count. “Defective” mail-in ballots were not to be counted and poll watchers were expected to be permitted to adequately observe the counting of all mail-in ballots at every location.
“In the aftermath of the chaotic 2020 election, I drafted, introduced, and co-primed several bills to restore integrity to our elections.
- SB 403 (w/Senator Stefano): Repeals No-Excuse Voting
- SB 573: Expands number of poll watchers and levies stronger penalties on officials who block or impede them
- SB 735 (w/Senator J. Ward): Constitutional Amendment to mandate use of voter identification for all forms of voting
- SB 819/821: Removes Secretary of State from oversight of Elections and establishes the “Election Commission”
- SB 884: Constitutional Amendment to end no-excuse mail voting and mandate signature verification
“It’s important that we get these bills out of the Senate and over to the House for consideration. We have waited long enough to take meaningful action to adequately secure future elections.”
The Commonwealth Court decision will be appealed by the Wolf Administration and Act 77 will remain in place pending a decision from the State Supreme Court.
Contact: Josh Herman (Mastriano)