Cuccinelli Responds to Wolf Veto of PA Voting Rights Protection Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2021 | LINK
Contact: Prudence Robertson, [email protected] (240) 672-2828
Gov. Wolf Vetoes Voting Rights Protection Act Despite Overwhelming Voter Support for Key Provisions
Washington, D.C. – Today Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) vetoed H.B. 1300, the Voting Rights Protection Act. Introduced by Rep. Seth Grove (R), this comprehensive election integrity and security legislation would increase voter access and help bolster fair and transparent elections in Pennsylvania.
The legislation contains key provisions overwhelmingly supported by Pennsylvania voters. According to the latest Franklin & Marshall College poll, large majorities of respondents favor signature matching for mail-in ballots (81 %) as well as photo identification requirements (74 %).
National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued the following statement:
“Make no mistake, Governor Wolf’s enthusiastic veto delivers a gut punch to free and fair elections Pennsylvanians can trust. The Voting Rights Protection Act contains common sense provisions overwhelmingly supported by voters, such as photo I.D. and signature verification for mail-in ballots, but Gov. Wolf instead has put Democrat party politics before the people of Pennsylvania. Americans should be confident that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat in our elections, but Gov. Wolf is marching in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi in a party-wide attempt to make it easy to cheat and hard to prove. We urge Rep. Grove and his Republican colleagues to remain vigilant and continue fighting for secure, transparent, and accountable Pennsylvania elections.”
The Voting Rights Protection Act would increase voter access and improve ballot security, transparency, and accountability by adding:
- County-issued voter ID protections
- Signature verification to verify voter eligibility
- A Bureau of Election Audits
- Updated procedures to help voters with disabilities
- Faster lines at polling places
- Enhanced training and higher pay for election workers
- State funding to help pay for elections
- Poll observer protections
- Penalties for attempting to intimidate an election official
- Expanded voter registration deadline (15 days to 30 days before election)
- Drop box security
- Voter list maintenance
Recent polling shows the majority of voters, including Black and Hispanic as well as urban and independent voters, overwhelmingly support voter I.D. protections and want it to be easy to vote and hard to cheat.
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between American Principles Project (APP) and the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), was organized to combat H.R. 1/S. 1 and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
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