PA State Reps Find Common Ground on Election Reform

In the first of BFA Pennsylvania’s Lunch with Lawmakers series on February 17th, State Representatives Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) and Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia) discussed their differences — and some common ground — on a host of topics related to election reform and civic education in the Commonwealth.

Topper and Solomon swapped viewpoints on a variety of contentious election-related issues while underscoring the need for bipartisan solutions through mutual respect and compromise. Acknowledging the importance of election reform now heading into 2024, the representatives covered a number of pressing issues.

Pre-Canvassing of Mail-in Ballots

Mail-in and drop-off balloting have exploded in recent elections, which has led to long delays in tabulating results and the perception of irregularities. This is due to current state law that prohibits county election boards from “pre-canvassing” — the process of opening mail-in ballots and preparing them to be fed into a machine for counting — before polls open on the morning of Election Day. Most agree that changes need to be made, but the solutions are hotly debated.

Representative Topper suggested that if changes are made, they need to be uniform so that counties would be mandated to begin and complete the process at the same time. “If you can put those parameters in place, we can get behind pre-canvassing,” he said.

Solomon conceded that the topic has been “wildly controversial” but blamed delays on the huge number of early votes in places like Philadelphia that reach “maybe a million if it’s a high turnout.” Pre-canvassing “seems like an idea everyone can embrace,” he said.

Ballot “Curing”

Problems also arise during early balloting when voters make mistakes that, strictly speaking, void their ballot. Judicial guidelines permit county election officials to contact voters to fix errors such as missing signatures or incorrect dates on mail-in ballot envelopes, but there is no consistency between counties.

Topper said the problem with this is that there is no statewide standard for doing so. “The state has a responsibility to assure that ballots are treated the same. That’s something that needs to be corrected,” he said.

Solomon agreed, so long as the standard gives the benefit of the doubt to the voter. “We need to make sure that we follow decades of precedent that the courts have set out” that the decision be based on voter intent. “We should do whatever we can to count that vote.”

Topper objected to this approach, saying that it should not be up to individual election workers to make that decision. “There has to be a definition of what is a fatal flaw on the ballot,” he said. He did not want to see election workers “trying to parse through and gauge voter intent. Their job is tough enough as it is.”

Voter Identification

In a pointed disagreement between the two lawmakers, Topper voiced his strong support of requiring identification, with Solomon opposed to increased voter ID requirements unless accessibility is addressed.

Topper said he supported some form of free, state-issued identification. “I don’t believe it would be a burden in any way, shape, or form, and I do believe it would go a long way toward restoring trust,” he said.

Solomon said that he would be open to voter ID reforms as long as voters have more access to vote through in-person early voting, same-day voter registration, and open primaries.

Civic Education & Engagement

Finally, the discussion moved to the topic of civic engagement. The political rancor of recent decades has turned many people, especially younger voters, away from the process. How best to address the problem?

Topper said it was an issue similar to one confronting churches. In his younger days, he said, one went because it was expected, but now they only participate “if they feel it has value,” especially younger people. According to Topper, the way to correct it is “to get our act together in government. Show them that government has value, that voting has value.”

Solomon essentially agreed. He pointed out that since 2019 civics has been a mandated part of the curriculum in schools. “I don’t know how much of this truly can be done through the school system. … Are kids more civically engaged, more civically aware, because of that legislation? I don’t know.”

The answer, he suggested, is for lawmakers to create an atmosphere “where people can vigorously disagree, but come together on key issues.”

Watch the full webinar on YouTube.