Public support for measures that enhance election integrity is overwhelmingly strong. A Franklin & Marshall College poll from 2021 revealed that 74% of Pennsylvanians, which encompass Democrats and Independents as well as Republicans, support voter ID laws. Despite this bipartisan support, partisan operating rules have halted progress on voter ID, preventing Pennsylvania voters from having the final say on the matter.

A voter identification constitutional amendment, House Bill 891, has languished in the House State Government Committee for more than a year, despite bipartisan support. House Republicans launched a discharge petition in an attempt to advance the measure, but it has not yet moved.

In addition to working toward voter ID, here are some other election integrity initiatives that have been put forward:

• House Bill 1263 would require a county board of elections, prior to the certification of the results of an election, to conduct a manual audit or an automated and independent audit of the voting systems used in randomly selected precincts.
• House Bill 1264 would require the auditor general to conduct an annual performance audit of the county results of each election to ensure the integrity of PA’s electoral process.
• House Bill 773 would encourage candidates to utilize online filing for campaign finance reports, which would increase public transparency while saving the taxpayers money.
• House Bill 978 would create an election complaint procedure and would provide statutory structure to ensure all election complaints are reviewed and responded to.
• House Bill 1420 would protect voting rights through three broad concepts: increased access, increased security and modernization.
• House Bill 1883 would improve the accuracy and integrity of voter registration records by cross-referencing them with jury duty lists.
• House Bill 2053 would expand and formalize requirements for the certification of any voting machine by the secretary of State, as well as for additional pre-election machine testing in all counties.
• House Bill 2054 would strengthen PA’s requirements for voting machine manufacturers to resolve any defects or failures occurring in their machines.
• House Bill 2144 would prohibit artificially generated voices from being used for political campaign purposes.
• House Bill 2542 would require the Department of State’s election return website to include the number of precincts reporting and the total number of precincts in its preliminary election results in each race.

Election integrity is fundamental for the proper functioning of democracy. By implementing robust verification processes, addressing system failures and fostering community engagement, we can uphold public trust in our institutions.