Jul. 08, 2022 / Press Release
HARRISBURG – Rep. Lee James (R-Venango/Butler) announced today the House advanced several proposed constitutional amendments, which include restoring the balance of elections in the Commonwealth.
“A fundamental, critical component of democracy is the ability to decide who should represent us,” said James. “A lot of my constituents lost faith in the electoral process, and we need to do everything we can to restore confidence in the process. This is why I believe it is important to give Pennsylvanians the opportunity to decide how our elections must be conducted.”
In light of the broad, bipartisan support for voter ID, the first measure seeks to amend the Constitution to require all voters to present valid identification each time they cast their ballot, regardless of whether they are voting by mail or in person. Any voter who does not have valid identification would be provided with a government-issued ID at no cost.
Another proposed constitutional amendment would require comprehensive auditing of elections, including the administration of elections, certification of election machines, the accuracy of the list of registered voters, the administration of voter registration and election results.
A third proposed amendment aims to better restore the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of state government by stating that the General Assembly’s disapproval of a regulation need not be presented to the governor for his approval.
Another proposed constitutional amendment would clarify that the Constitution does not grant the right to TAXPAYER-FUNDED abortion or any other right relating to abortion. The proposal would not change the Commonwealth’s current abortion laws.
The final proposed constitutional amendment would allow gubernatorial candidates to select their running mates similar to how presidential candidates select their vice presidential running mates. Currently, the state’s lieutenant governors are elected independently.
In order to amend the Constitution, the proposals must be passed in identical form in two consecutive legislative sessions prior to being placed on the ballot for voters to have the final say. This is the first time each of the proposals has been approved by both the House and Senate.
Representative R. Lee James
64th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nate Temple
717-260-6396
Ntemple@pahousegop.com
www.repjames.com