PA Lawmakers: Send Every Voter a Mail-In Ballot for the November Election!


(Image: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)

Scaling up Pennsylvania's new Vote-by-Mail program is the best way to protect the November election during the pandemic.

Add your name to this petition and then call your Pennsylvania representatives to ask them to support House Bill 2637. Let's send every PA voter a Vote-by-Mail ballot application for the Presidential election in November.

With some degree of social isolation measures still likely needed in the fall, it's more important than ever to pass Philadelphia Rep. Kevin Boyle's bill that would expand Pennsylvania’s Vote-by-Mail system and mail every voter a ballot application.

Just like people can flatten the curve of emergency room admissions by self-isolating, we can flatten the curve of application requests by encouraging voters to cast Vote-by-Mail ballots throughout the 50-day early voting window in Pennsylvania, and by requesting their ballots as early as possible. Request yours today


Normally voters will need to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot online or at the county election office, but Rep. Boyle's bill would send a pre-paid mail-in ballot application automatically to every registered voter in Pennsylvania.

This bill is must-pass legislation for several important reasons during this public health emergency:

- Protecting Voting Access. Just because there is an emergency doesn't mean we need to compromise our election and voter participation. We have a way that everyone can participate without putting their health at risk, that is straightforward, scalable, and affordable.

- Protecting Election Workers. Many election day workers who run our polling places are older adults who will need to take extra precautions during the pandemic. PA's county election boards have already seen a worrisome shortage of workers in normal times, and coronavirus concerns will only make that recruitment gap harder to fill. The Vote-by-Mail program can help take some of the pressure off.

- Diverting Election Day Crowds to the Mail. In addition to the election day worker recruitment issues, in-person voting is also going to take longer because Presidential elections tend to see the highest-ever turnout in the 4-year cycle, and voters and workers are still on the learning curve for Philly's new voting machines. That could mean long lines at the polls in some places. Even putting aside the public health emergency, there has been a good reason for election officials to want to shift more Election Day crowds to the mail, and flatten the curve of voting across the 50-day early voting period.

Want to help get the word out? Here's what you can do:

1. Add your name to the petition, and share it on social media

2. Find your state representatives and call their offices to tell them to co-sponsor HB 2637, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Boyle. (A companion bill has not yet been introduced in the state Senate, but we'll update this petition if it happens.)

3.
Sign up online to receive a Vote-by-Mail ballot and share the link with everyone you know: friends and family, colleagues, your neighborhood's Facebook groups 

We'll share updates on the bill as it progresses. Share any feedback or responses from your representatives with us at [email protected].

242 signatures

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Showing 182 reactions

  • Paul Droesch
    signed 2020-03-16 15:17:48 -0400
  • Diane Zilka
    signed 2020-03-16 15:15:23 -0400
  • alison perelman
    signed 2020-03-16 15:12:31 -0400
  • Henry Sullivan
    signed 2020-03-16 15:12:18 -0400
    Henry Orion Sullivan
  • Josh Middleton
    signed 2020-03-16 15:08:11 -0400
  • Matt Ruben
    signed 2020-03-16 15:07:16 -0400
  • Julie Berson
    signed 2020-03-16 15:05:26 -0400
  • Joan Duckenfield
    signed 2020-03-16 15:05:21 -0400
  • Janice Risch
    signed 2020-03-16 15:01:54 -0400
    Great idea. I printed out a bunch of applications for the ballots and left them on my front steps for neighbors to take, but your idea is better 😊
  • Dominique Johnson
    signed 2020-03-16 14:59:47 -0400
  • Brent Groce
    signed 2020-03-16 14:59:14 -0400
  • Lauren Sullivan
    signed 2020-03-16 14:56:47 -0400
  • Jeffrey Womack
    signed 2020-03-16 14:55:57 -0400
  • Kelson Northeimer
    signed 2020-03-16 14:55:24 -0400
  • Stefan Zajic
    signed 2020-03-16 14:51:15 -0400
    Stefan Zajic
  • Marshall Schurtz
    signed 2020-03-16 14:50:56 -0400
  • Matthew Jakubowski
    signed 2020-03-16 14:50:11 -0400
  • Jason Teixeira
    signed 2020-03-16 14:41:35 -0400
  • Kelly Vass
    signed 2020-03-16 14:38:30 -0400
  • Grace Tillman
    signed 2020-03-16 14:38:09 -0400
  • Timothy Brown
    signed 2020-03-16 14:37:49 -0400
  • Florian Schodel
    signed 2020-03-16 14:36:27 -0400
    Florian Schodel
  • Tesia Barone
    signed 2020-03-16 14:34:33 -0400
  • Alfred Klosterman
    signed 2020-03-16 14:31:48 -0400
    Alfred Klosterman
  • Megan Boyle
    signed 2020-03-16 14:30:09 -0400
  • Sarah Anton
    signed 2020-03-16 14:27:56 -0400
  • Shani Ferguson
    signed 2020-03-16 14:27:46 -0400
  • Kelly Fernandez
    signed 2020-03-16 14:26:40 -0400
  • Justin Bell
    signed 2020-03-16 14:26:18 -0400
  • Jeremy Avellino
    signed 2020-03-16 14:24:30 -0400