Pennsylvania Act 2013-6 — PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION CODE - VOTING STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Act text

Session of 2013

No. 2013-6

SB 436

AN ACT

Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled "An act concerning elections, including general, municipal, special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates, primary and election expenses and election contests; creating and defining membership of county boards of elections; imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth, courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners; imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying, revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to elections," further providing for Voting Standards Development Board.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 204(h) of the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, amended May 13, 2011 (P.L.13, No.3), is amended to read:

Section 204. Voting Standards Development Board.--* * *

(h) (1) The board shall have the power and duty to develop uniform and nondiscriminatory standards that define what constitutes a valid vote cast through a paper ballot and what constitutes a valid vote through each type of electronic voting system used in the Commonwealth. On or before July 1, 2003, the board shall adopt standards for paper ballots and each type of electronic voting system. The department shall cause these standards to be published as a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

(2) The standards adopted by the board and published by the Department of State in the Pennsylvania Bulletin Volume 33 Number 31 on August 2, 2003, shall[, for the general election in 2004 and any primary, municipal, special and general election in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012,] have the force and effect of law[.] until such time as a category of voting system, other than the paper ballot or electronic voting system as defined in section 1101-A, is approved by the secretary for use in this Commonwealth under section 201(b). The secretary shall publish the approval as a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED--The 15th day of May, A.D. 2013.

TOM CORBETT