Among top ideas concerning voting reform were early voting, redistricting reform and open primaries.
State Rep. Jared Solomon asked participants at last week’s Conference on Political Reform: Election Edition to give him ideas so he can craft legislation.
The Philadelphia Protestant Home hosted the Oct. 23 event, which was sponsored by Solomon, the League of Women Voters, the Committee of Seventy and the Northeast Times.
Among those in attendance were city election commission chairwoman Lisa Deeley, who noted that election poll workers have been given a raise; David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy; Kevin Greenberg, a former deputy city solicitor who handles legal work for the state Democratic Party; Kathy Boockvar, senior adviser to Gov. Tom Wolf on election modernization and a former Democratic congressional and judicial candidate; Carol Kuniholm, chairwoman and co-founder of Fair Districts PA; Dr. Jessie Fields, of Open Primaries; and Micah Sims, executive director of Common Cause PA.
Participants were asked to rank their favorite election reform among seven choices. The top six choices, in order, were early voting, redistricting reform, open primaries, election security and a tie between automatic voter registration and no excuse absentee ballots.
The crowd learned that Philadelphia will be getting new voting machines by the 2020 primary. Susquehanna County will be using new machines on Nov. 6.
Kuniholm showed a map of the 177th Legislative District, represented by the retiring John Taylor. The district goes from Port Richmond to Holme Circle.
“That was drawn very specifically to be a Republican district,” she said.
Kuniholm also showed a map of the 152nd Legislative District, represented by Tom Murt. Centered in eastern Montgomery County, it includes a portion of Bustleton that Kuniholm said strengthens its Republican lean.
Pennsylvania is one of 12 states that have closed primaries, though there is legislation that would allow independents to vote in primaries.
Common Cause supports allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, though they would not be able to vote until they turn 18.
Sims, of Common Cause, notes that Pennsylvania is one of 16 states that does not offer early voting.
“It should happen here,” he said.
Sims finds it mind-boggling that Pennsylvanians must apply for an absentee ballot seven days before an election and must return it four days before Election Day.
“That needs to be looked at,” he said.
Solomon is hopeful of reform, in part, because state Sen. Mike Folmer, a Lebanon County Republican who chairs the Government Committee, has called for a wholesale rewrite of the election code. ••
