Democrats are committed to protecting the right to vote for all. Republicans are currently trying to restrict the right to vote and rewrite the rules for their partisan advantage, and continue to focus on political games instead of bringing jobs back to Pennsylvania.

Electoral College

Governor Corbett and Republicans in Harrisburg have proposed a plan (Senate Bill 1282) to change how Pennsylvania votes for president. The plan would allocate our electoral votes by congressional district instead of through a statewide popular vote. The Governor and state legislature in Harrisburg are trying to change the rules on how we elect the President. It’s up to voters to decide at the ballot box who is President -- not the Governor or the state legislature in Harrisburg.

If the system were to be changed in this way, it would mean that Pennsylvania would no longer be a battleground state with a big prize. Under the Republican plan we would lose influence, our concerns would be less well-known to presidents, and we would lose the millions of dollars in revenue to Pennsylvanians that candidates spend here every cycle.

The plan is opposed by many Republicans including Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason, most of the Republican Congressional delegation, at least ten members of the state house and National Republican Congressional Campaign chairman Pete Sessions.  

Voter ID

Republicans in Harrisburg have proposed a bill (House Bill 934), which has already passed the State House that would require all voters to present a photo ID every time they vote. Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem - there have been almost no cases of voter fraud in the history of Pennsylvania elections. Instead of making the process fairer, this plan would disenfranchise vulnerable populations, like seniors, minorities, and youth, who are less likely to have photo IDs. It would also make it more difficult for all Pennsylvanians to exercise their right to vote at a time when we should be encouraging more voting, not less.

Voter ID would also be costly to the state of Pennsylvania at a time when the state can least afford it. The legislation would cost our taxpayers over $11 million to implement.

Redistricting

Every 10 years after the census, each state undertakes the process of redrawing its congressional districts. In Pennsylvania, because Republicans are in charge of both chambers of the General Assembly and the Governor's Office, they have complete control over the redistricting process. All proposals and indications so far demonstrate that the Republicans are willing to use this power to redraw the lines to protect incumbent Republican politicians with almost no input from Democrats. Republicans are more interested in short-term political gains than they are in fairer elections.