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Pennsylvania Question 2, Emergency Declarations Amendment (May 2021)

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Pennsylvania Question 2
Flag of Pennsylvania.png
Election date
May 18, 2021
Topic
State executive official measures
Status
Approveda Approved
Type
Constitutional amendment
Origin
State legislature

2021 measures
May 18
Pennsylvania Question 1 Approved
Pennsylvania Question 2 Approved
Pennsylvania Question 3 Approved
Pennsylvania Question 4 Approved
Polls
Voter guides
Campaign finance
Signature costs

Pennsylvania Question 2, the Emergency Declaration Amendment, was on the ballot in Pennsylvania as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in May 18, 2021. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this constitutional amendment to limit the governor's emergency declaration to 21 days unless the legislature votes on a concurrent resolution to extend the order and provide that the state legislature shall pass laws related to how disaster emergencies must be managed.

A "no" vote opposed this constitutional amendment, meaning the governor would continue to be allowed to issue emergency declarations without a legislative vote after 21 days.


Election results

Pennsylvania Question 2

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

1,174,528 51.97%
No 1,085,371 48.03%
Results are officially certified.
Source


Overview

What did this ballot measure change?

The ballot measure added a new section to the Pennsylvania Constitution addressing disaster emergencies, including public health emergencies, natural disasters, and other types of emergencies. The ballot measure added the following provisions:[1]

  • defined the governor's power to use executive orders and proclamations to declare emergencies;
  • provided that the state legislature shall pass laws related to how disaster emergencies must be managed; and
  • limited the governor's declaration to 21 days unless the legislature votes on a concurrent resolution to extend the order.

How did this ballot measure relate to COVID pandemic-related orders?

In June 2020, the General Assembly passed a concurrent resolution to terminate Gov. Tom Wolf's (D) coronavirus emergency declaration. Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokesperson for Gov. Wolf, said, "The disaster proclamation has not been terminated by the House or Senate’s actions. Only the governor can terminate the disaster emergency."[2] On July 1, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the governor could veto the concurrent resolution. According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, there are three exceptions that do not require the governor's signature—legislative adjournment, internal affairs of the legislature, and constitutional amendment ballot measures.[3] On July 14, Gov. Wolf vetoed the resolution, which would have required a legislative two-thirds vote to overturn.[4]

The Pennsylvania State Legislature referred two constitutional amendments to the ballot, including Question 2. The second constitutional amendment, Question 1, allowed the legislature to pass a resolution, which the governor cannot veto, by a simple majority vote to extend or terminate the governor's emergency declaration.

On May 4, 2021, Gov. Wolf announced that COVID-related mitigation restrictions and regulations, except for masking, would be lifted on May 31, 2021. The announcement stated that the masking requirement would be lifted once 70% of residents ages 18 or older are fully vaccinated.[5] On May 13, the state announced that vaccinated persons no longer needed to wear masks outdoors or indoors.[6]

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:[7]

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law so that: a disaster emergency declaration will expire automatically after 21 days, regardless of the severity of the emergency, unless the General Assembly takes action to extend the disaster emergency; the Governor may not declare a new disaster emergency to respond to the dangers facing the Commonwealth unless the General Assembly passes a concurrent resolution; the General Assembly enacts new laws for disaster management?[8]


Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:[7]

Joint Resolution No. 2021-1 proposes adding a new section to Article IV of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This amendment incorporates disaster emergency declaration and management powers directly into the Constitution by:

  • Granting the Governor authority to declare a disaster emergency declaration by proclamation or executive order;
  • Requiring each declaration to indicate the nature, location and type of disaster;
  • Granting the General Assembly authority to pass laws providing for the manner in which each disaster shall be managed;
  • Limiting the duration of a Governor’s declaration to 21 days, unless otherwise extended, in whole or in part, by a concurrent resolution of the General Assembly;
  • Preventing the Governor, upon the expiration of a declaration, from issuing a new declaration based upon the same or substantially similar facts, unless the General Assembly passes a concurrent resolution expressly approving a new declaration.

Currently, disaster emergency declaration and management powers are delegated by statute to the Governor. The Governor has the sole authority to issue and manage all disaster emergency declarations, which cannot extend beyond 90 days unless renewed by the Governor. The General Assembly may override a Governor’s disaster emergency declaration by concurrent resolution that must be presented to the Governor for his approval or veto.

If approved, the amendment would transfer certain of the Governor’s existing authority to respond to and manage disaster emergencies to the General Assembly. The Governor would retain the authority to issue an initial disaster emergency declaration but the declaration’s permissible length would be reduced from 90 to 21 days. The sole authority to extend a declaration would lie with the General Assembly; presently, this power rests with the Governor.

Upon expiration of the initial declaration, the amendment prohibits the Governor from issuing a new declaration based upon the same or substantially similar facts without the approval of the General Assembly. The Governor would no longer have unilateral authority to manage disasters, but would have to do so consistent with the laws passed by the General Assembly.

If approved, the General Assembly would be required to pass new laws establishing the manner in which each type of disaster shall be managed. If added to the Pennsylvania Constitution, the proposed amendment cannot be modified or repealed except by a judicial decision finding all or part of the proposed amendment unconstitutional or by the approval of a subsequent constitutional amendment.[8]

Constitutional changes

See also: Article IV, Pennsylvania Constitution

The measure would added a Section 20 to Article IV of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The following underlined text was added:[1]

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

§ 20. Disaster emergency declaration and management.

(a) A disaster emergency declaration may be declared by executive order or proclamation of the governor upon finding that a disaster has occurred or that the occurrence or threat of a disaster is imminent that threatens the health, safety or welfare of this commonwealth.

(b) Each disaster emergency declaration issued by the governor under subsection (a) shall indicate the nature, each area threatened and the conditions of the disaster, including whether the disaster is a natural disaster, military emergency, public health emergency, technological disaster or other general emergency, as defined by statute. The general assembly shall, by statute, provide for the manner in which each type of disaster enumerated under this subsection shall be managed.

(c) A disaster emergency declaration under subsection (a) shall be in effect for no more than twenty-one (21) days, unless otherwise extended in whole or part by concurrent resolution of the general assembly.

(d) Upon the expiration of a disaster emergency declaration under subsection (a), the governor may not issue a new disaster emergency declaration based upon the same or substantially similar facts and circumstances without the passage of a concurrent resolution of the general assembly expressly approving the new disaster emergency declaration.[8]

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2021
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The Pennsylvania Secretary of State wrote the ballot language for this measure.


The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 18, and the FRE is 7. The word count for the ballot title is 73, and the estimated reading time is 19 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 15, and the FRE is 20. The word count for the ballot summary is 383, and the estimated reading time is 1 minute, 42 seconds.


Support

Supporters

Officials

Former Officials

Organizations

Individuals


Arguments

  • Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-39): "Under Gov. Wolf's current declaration of emergency for Covid-19, we are witnessing what consolidated power looks like: inconsistent vaccine roll outs, businesses that have been shuttered, nursing home residents who have suffered under the Department of Health, and hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers who continue to struggle to obtain unemployment benefits."
  • State Sen. Ryan Aument (R-36): "With this amendment, we are not saying that the governor can’t act – we are simply saying that he can no longer act alone without justifying his actions before the people’s representatives in the General Assembly."
  • State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102): "If the General Assembly — a co-equal branch of government — does not believe that the governor is acting properly, then the General Assembly should have a right to override that governor’s disaster emergency order."
  • State Rep. Seth Grove (R-196): "What we have seen over nearly a year is one person making all the decisions, which impact the nearly 13 million residents of the Commonwealth, in regard to the state’s response to the pandemic. The only input the Legislature was permitted to have in the matter were bills, most of which were vetoed by the governor, in response to actions he already took. The General Assembly should not be limited to being a reactionary board that merely attempts to advise the governor on actions he unilaterally decided to take."
  • Jason Gottesman, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania House Republicans: "The Wolf administration has stood in the way of the voice of the people for more than 14 months and they continue to do so with a campaign of disinformation weeks before the voters will express their desire about whether or not to restore their power during emergency disaster declarations."


Opposition

Opponents

Officials

Political Parties

Organizations

  • National Association of Social Workers, Pennsylvania Chapter


Arguments

  • State Rep. Margo Davidson (D-164): "It’s not the first and will not be the last power grab by this Republican, gerrymandered, Republican majority. This bill does not deal with the fact that on day 22 of any emergency, what will happen?"
  • Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-43): "It really restricts and limits the governor’s ability, along with his cabinet, to manage a pandemic. In this case, going forward. . To think that over the course of the past 10 months that we’d have to come back every 21 days to reauthorize the governor’s ability to do this is, quite frankly, ridiculous."
  • Gov. Tom Wolf (D): "[The constitutional amendment] would hinder our ability to respond quickly, comprehensively and effectively to a disaster emergency by requiring any declaration to be affirmed by concurrent resolution of the legislature every three weeks. This would force partisan politics into the commonwealth’s disaster response efforts and could slow down or halt emergency response when aid is most needed. A disaster response could be hamstrung by lack of action by the legislature (or by the disaster itself, if it were severe enough to stop the legislature from meeting) and the executive branch would have no certainty that disaster response measures put in place would remain past this short, arbitrary deadline."
  • State Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-19): "It is not feasible to manage a crisis by 253 members of the General Assembly, most, if not all, of whom are not trained in managing emergencies. The premature termination of a disaster emergency will have wide-ranging negative consequences for the Commonwealth."
  • State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-181): "These same individuals can’t even listen to the CDC which says wearing a mask would limit how long this pandemic would go on, and yet they deserve a say? We can’t trust you with a say. I don’t trust people who can’t wear a mask in a pandemic to have a say on when it’s safe."
  • Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency: "The law as it stands currently allows for a balance of legislative power. These amendments would significantly disrupt that balance at the potential detriment of those most affected by future disasters, and interject politics further into a process that should be removed as possible from partisan politics for the benefit of all citizens of the commonwealth."
  • Kevin J. Molloy, a former project officer for FEMA and emergency management coordinator during the 1979 Three Mile Island Nuclear Station accident: "The current law in Pennsylvania is more than adequate to provide the foundation upon which a response to disaster emergencies is based. Change in my opinion is both unnecessary and unwise. One cannot call a 'time-out' at the end of 21 days to have a political discussion. The disruption to the disaster response has the potential to be catastrophic itself. I would urge that Pennsylvanians vote no to changing the existing emergency law."


Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Pennsylvania ballot measures

Ballotpedia has not identified ballot measure committees registered to support or oppose the ballot measure.[9]

Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Support $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Oppose $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

There were at least two 501(c) nonprofit organizations that spent funds to advertise in support of Question 1 and Question 2.

  • Americans For Prosperity (AFP), a 501(c)(4) organization, spent about $50,000 on social media advertisements, canvassing, and other materials, as well as a website called Final Say PA.[10] AFP supported Question 1 and Question 2.
  • The Commonwealth Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, spent about $100,000 on television advertisements.[10] The Commonwealth Foundation supported Question 1 and Question 2.

Media editorials

Support

The following media editorial boards published an editorial supporting the ballot measure:

  • The Observer–Reporter Editorial Board: "And while the constitutional amendments have been placed on the ballot in the wake of Gov. Tom Wolf’s actions during the pandemic over the last year, they would restore a balance of power between both co-equal branches of government in the decades ahead. One day, there could well be a Republican governor facing a Democratic Legislature, and these constitutional amendments will be applicable in that scenario, too."

Opposition

The following media editorial boards published an editorial opposing the ballot measure:

  • The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board: "The purpose of disaster declarations is to provide a mechanism for government to respond quickly to emergent issues, recognizing that the legislative process is lengthy by design. In an ideal situation, disaster declarations would be rare and short. But that would require a responsive legislature that is willing to enact laws to ameliorate crises. For example, throughout spring and summer of 2020, when Pennsylvanians were suffering both from COVID-19 and the pandemic’s recession, Republican lawmakers were busy picking a fight with Gov. Wolf about school sports events instead of addressing the pressing needs of their constituents. ... If Republicans want to limit emergency powers from the governor, let them first prove that they are capable of responding to a crisis from the legislature."
  • USA Today Network Pennsylvania Editorial Board: "Disaster declarations give the governor the power to waive laws and regulations to enable swift, nimble response and recovery. The declarations are a prerequisite to release the flow of state and federal aid. Imagine amid a crisis having to seek the consent of the Legislature every three weeks, a Legislature that is not often in session and not prone to comity. If consensus could not be reached, what would happen to Pennsylvanians confronting disaster? Decision-making by committee during an emergency is a reckless proposition and simply not practical or necessary since a mechanism to rein in overreach already exists. Common sense should prevail. Disaster management is the purview of the executive branch for a reason. It should stay that way."
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board: "The proposed amendments are more reflective of the acrimonious relationship between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature and do not serve the best interests of the commonwealth in the long term. Voters should reject them. ... Still, these proposals would take much of the decision making in an emergency out of the hands of the governor and public health officials, and place it with legislators. Politics would take priority, and that’s a frightening thought."
  • PennLive Editorial Board: "These two amendments are not only important, they’re dangerous. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we need strong, decisive leadership in a crisis. And we’ve learned a crisis can last longer than 21 days. ... The last thing Pennsylvanians need is to face an emergency with a governor unable to act to protect lives while lawmakers bicker among themselves in the General Assembly."
  • York Dispatch Editorial Board: "Officials who don’t take public-health threats seriously enough to protect themselves, their families and their staffs can hardly be trusted to safeguard the general public. Of course, protecting the public is not what’s driving next month’s amendments; political predominance is. ... Removing emergency responsibilities from the governor’s office in favor of the General Assembly would, at best, muddle and delay action when it’s most needed. At worst, it would reward a power grab and infuse partisan considerations into public-safety decision-making."


Background

Conflict between governor and legislature on COVID orders

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Pennsylvania)

On March 6, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an emergency disaster declaration following the first two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania.[11] He ordered the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses across the state on March 19.[12] Officials at first issued stay-at-home orders at the county level rather than issuing one order statewide. On April 1, Gov. Wolf extended the stay-at-home order to all 67 counties in the state.[13] Pennsylvania's stay-at-home order expired June 4.[14]

In June 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a concurrent resolution to terminate the governor's coronavirus emergency declaration. Senate and House Republicans, along with three Senate Democrats and 12 House Democrats, supported the termination resolution. Rep. Russell Diamond (R-102) was the resolution's lead sponsor.[15] Mike Straub, a spokesperson for House Republicans, said that the resolution did not need the governor's signature. "This will not go to Wolf. The declaration is over, and it will be published in the Pennsylvania bulletin," said Straub.[16] Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokesperson for Gov. Wolf, said, "The disaster proclamation has not been terminated by the House or Senate’s actions. Only the governor can terminate the disaster emergency."[17]

On July 1, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the governor could veto the concurrent resolution. According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the state constitution requires all concurrent resolutions to be presented to the governor for approval or veto except for resolutions on legislative adjournment, internal affairs of the legislature, and constitutional amendment ballot measures.[18]

On July 14, Gov. Wolf vetoed the resolution.[19] The state House voted on the governor's veto on September 2, 2020, but the vote fell short of the two-thirds requirement to overturn a veto.[20]

Legislative power to terminate governor's declaration by state

The following map illustrates which state legislatures can terminate a governor's emergency declaration. Note that vote numbers are not recorded in the map. In Pennsylvania, for example, a two-thirds legislative vote could be required to terminate a governor's emergency declaration, assuming the governor vetos the resolution passed by at least a simple majority.[21][22][23]

Legislature required to vote on declaration

The legislatures of four states—Alaska, Kansas, Michigan, and Minnesota—are required to vote on extending or terminating a governor's emergency declarations.[21][22]

  • In Kansas, the legislature must vote to extend or terminate the governor's emergency order within 15 days after it is first issued.
  • In Michigan, the legislature must vote on the emergency order within 28 days.
  • In Alaska and Minnesota, the legislatures must vote to extend or terminate the governor's emergency order within 30 days.

Constitutional amendments in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, the state legislature can propose amendments to the state constitution. Between 1995 and 2020, the state legislature referred 14 constitutional amendments to the ballot. All 14 of the constitutional amendments were approved. As of 2020, voters last rejected a constitutional amendment in 1989. The following chart illustrates trends in constitutional amendments on the ballot in Pennsylvania:

Constitutional amendments on the ballot in Pennsylvania, 1995-2020
Total number Approved Percent approved Defeated Percent defeated Odd-year average Odd-year median Odd-year minimum Odd-year maximum
14 14 100% 0 0% 0.5 0.0 0 3

Path to the ballot

Amending the Pennsylvania Constitution

See also: Amending the Pennsylvania Constitution

In Pennsylvania, a simple majority vote is required in two successive sessions of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

2019-2020 legislative session

The constitutional amendment was introduced into the Pennsylvania General Assembly as Senate Bill 1166 (SB 1166) during the 2019-2020 legislative session. SB 1166 included three ballot measures to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution—the Equal Rights Regardless of Race or Ethnicity Amendment, the Governor's Emergency Declaration Amendment, and the Legislative Resolution to Extend or Terminate Emergency Declaration Amendment.[24]

The original version of SB 1166 addressed emergency powers. Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-7) proposed that SB 1166 also include a constitutional amendment addressing equality of rights regardless of race or ethnicity. The full Senate voted to add the amendment to SB 1166.[25]

On July 14, 2020, the state House of Representatives voted 115-86 to pass SB 1166. On July 15, 2020, the state Senate voted 33-17 to pass SB 1166.[24]

Vote in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
July 14, 2020
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber on an emergency amendment in one session
Number of yes votes required: 102  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total115861
Total percent56.93%42.57%0.50%
Democrat7860
Republican10801

Vote in the Pennsylvania State Senate
July 15, 2020
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber on an emergency amendment in one session
Number of yes votes required: 26  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total33170
Total percent66.00%34.00%0.00%
Democrat4170
Republican2800
Independent100

2021-2022 legislative session

The three-amendment resolution was reintroduced into the state legislature as Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) during the 2021-2022 legislative session.[26]

On January 26, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted 28 to 20 to pass the legislation. On February 5, 2021, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 116 to 86 to pass the legislation. With approval during two legislative sessions, the three constitutional amendments were referred to the ballot.[26]

Vote in the Pennsylvania State Senate
January 26, 2021
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber on an emergency amendment in one session
Number of yes votes required: 25  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total28201
Total percent57.14%40.82%2.04%
Democrat1200
Republican2601
Independent100

Vote in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
February 5, 2021
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber in two sessions; or two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber on an emergency amendment in one session
Number of yes votes required: 102  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total116860
Total percent57.43%42.57%0.00%
Democrat4860
Republican11200

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Pennsylvania.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Pennsylvania State Legislature, "Senate Bill 1166," accessed July 16, 2020
  2. WHYY, "The Pa. legislature approved a resolution ending Wolf’s coronavirus emergency declaration. What happens now?" June 10, 2020
  3. Pennsylvania Supreme Court, "Wolf et al. v. Scarnati et al.," July 1, 2020
  4. Patch, "Gov. Wolf Vetoes COVID-19 Resolution, Signs 6 New Laws," July 14, 2020
  5. Pennsylvania Department of Health, "Wolf Administration to Lift Mitigation Orders On Memorial Day, Masking Order Once 70% Of Pennsylvania Adults Fully Vaccinated ," May 4, 2021
  6. Pennsylvania Department of Health, "Department Of Health Mask Order Reflects Latest CDC Guidance For Fully Vaccinated Individuals," May 13, 2021
  7. 7.0 7.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "​Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of Pennsylvania," accessed February 24, 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  9. Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed February 9, 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 City & State Pennsylvania, "Conservatives hold spending advantage on ballot question messaging," May 18, 2021
  11. Pennsylvania Governor, "Gov. Wolf Signs COVID-19 Disaster Declaration to Provide Increased Support for State Response," March 6, 2020
  12. Pennsylvania Governor, "Governor Orders Closure of Non-Life-Sustaining Businesses," March 19, 2020
  13. WGAL, "Gov. Tom Wolf places all of Pennsylvania under stay-at-home order," April 1, 2020
  14. WGAL, "Pennsylvania stay-at-home order ends; governor expected to announce more counties can move to green phase," accessed June 7, 2020
  15. Pennsylvania General Assembly, "House Resolution 836," accessed February 1, 2021
  16. WITF, "Pa. legislature passes resolution to revoke Gov. Wolf’s coronavirus emergency order," June 9, 2020
  17. WHYY, "The Pa. legislature approved a resolution ending Wolf’s coronavirus emergency declaration. What happens now?" June 10, 2020
  18. Pennsylvania Supreme Court, "Wolf et al. v. Scarnati et al.," July 1, 2020
  19. Patch, "Gov. Wolf Vetoes COVID-19 Resolution, Signs 6 New Laws," July 14, 2020
  20. Fox 43, "House fails to override Governor Wolf's veto, end COVID-19 disaster declaration," September 2, 2020
  21. 21.0 21.1 NCSL, "Legislative Oversight of Emergency Executive Powers," February 12, 2021
  22. 22.0 22.1 Maine Policy Institute, "Scoring Emergency Executive Power in All 50 States," accessed February 15, 2021
  23. State Legislative Leaders Foundation, "A Summary State Legislative Powers Relative to Declarations of Emergency in the Fifty States," May 18, 2020
  24. 24.0 24.1 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "SB 1166 Overview," accessed July 16, 2020
  25. WITF, "Two for the price of one: Pair of proposed amendments to state constitution head to Pa. House," June 29, 2020
  26. 26.0 26.1 Pennsylvania State Legislature, "Senate Bill 2," accessed February 5, 2021
  27. Department of State, “First Time Voters,” accessed March 21, 2023
  28. 28.0 28.1 Department of State, “Voter Registration Application,” accessed March 21, 2023
  29. Department of State, “Contact Your Election Officials,” accessed March 21, 2023
  30. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, "Governor Shapiro Implements Automatic Voter Registration in Pennsylvania, Joining Bipartisan Group of States That Have Taken Commonsense Step to Make Voter Registration More Streamlined and Secure," September 19, 2023
  31. NBC, "Pennsylvania rolls out automatic voter registration," September 19, 2023
  32. The Patriot-News, “Thousands take advantage of new online voter registration in Pennsylvania,” September 2, 2015
  33. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  34. Department of State, "First Time Voters," accessed March 21, 2023