Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, says she will reintroduce her proposal to eliminate special elections in Pennsylvania by requiring vacancies be filled in the "next regularly scheduled" primary/general.
palegis.us/senate/co-sp...
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Roae says DOJ can't effectively match w/o SSN, which obviously the federal gov. already has. Asks which section of PA constitution prohibits release of this info to DOJ. Schmidt offers to provide Roae with letter they sent DOJ.
Schmidt notes it was DOS which identified this crime. on the DOJ request, it is the department's position that they are legally not allowed to provided private info DL and partial SS numbers) to the DOJ. Notes many other state's have reached that same conclusion.
Rep. Roae mentions man who voted in 2020 twice for Trump, once in PA and once in FL. Given this, why has state not given DOJ the voter roll info it is seeking?
Rep. Brennan asks about what improvements have been made to make sure mail voters don't have their ballots rejected by small technical errors. Schmidt mentions the return envelope redesign, which led to a decrease in rejections.
because of courts which voters need to be informed of. Marcell still wants more details.
Marcell asks again how the money will be spend and why the need for an increase. Schmidt said they have asked for increased before which they didn't receive. Says spending will be on things like mailings to voters, radio/other media ads. Marks ads there have been changes to rules
Rep. Marcell asks about voter education and outreach budget. Why 250% increase when no new law? Schmidt says turnout higher in federal years, thus more need. Says no voter education will take place in a way that in specific to one geographic location or party.
In place by 2028, that is. Not just releasing it.
Schmidt says "will certainly not be in place by 2026." Will never release a system that is not ready. Schmidt doesn't specify a target release date but has previously said 2028.
Rep. Flood asks about SURE system and specifically if the new system will be ready for the 2026 election. (I don't think that was the initial goal. 2028 is the target).
Rep. Young asks about polling place shortages/turnover. How can state stem that tide and help support new poll workers? Schmidt mentions election official training unit the department has created. Says participation level is "phenomenal" and helps bring uniformity to the state.
Rep. Reichard asks about $1.3 million budgeted for advertising constitutional amendments. Schmidt said the department is required to advertise in 2-3 newspapers of general circulation. Since it is an obligation they must budget for it, even though there are none on the horizon.
Schmidt asked about FBI elections call last week. Read more about the call here: www.votebeat.org/2026/02/26/i...
Schmidt says when to hold elections is up to the legislature to determine. Barton pushed back to ask is Schmidt has any recommendations to improve the situation. Schmidt reiterated the department's roll is just to help facilitate elections.
Now moving onto special elections, Rep. Barton asks about the cost and brings up our recent story (below). Does Schmidt think the speaker should try to schedule special elections on regularly scheduled Election Days? www.votebeat.org/pennsylvania...
Schmidt is also asked about worries some people have about federal interference with elections or even ICE being at the polls. Schmidt says the state has made the federal government aware that people have these concerns, and reaffirms that states have authority over elections
Schmidt is asked about election misinformation coming from President Trump and how voters can be assured elections are free and fair. He says being an accurate source of information is important.
statements attributed to candidates. But there is also potential for it to be a useful tool, although "we can never be wrong. It can never tell the voter the wrong day of the election."
Rep. Waxman asks about AI about how the department is seeing it effect campaigns and elections. Schmidt says it has been a "moving target" in the election space with how rapidly it is developing. In elections it has shown it can be a real harm in that it can generate false
anticipation of this question and didn't receive it.
Rep. Abney asks about the SURE (voter roll) system upgrade project. Schmidt gives a general recap of the contract process/project goals but I didn't hear any specifics about where the project is at today. I asked the department last week for the specific project timeline in
Schmidt notes yes some states have left, but New York has joined. The states that have left are struggling to implement data sharing agreements with each other. PA also can't risk sharing data with states in an unsecure manner.
Rep. Nelson asks about ERIC voter roll maintenance program. Notes that some states have left, including neighboring states. Is there something else PA should be doing for list maintenance?
Deputy Sec. Jonathan Marks is asked if the department would support changes to election certification deadlines, to bring the state into compliance with the Electoral Count Reform Act. Marks says "certainly," provided it aligns with the reality of election administration.
Brown asks about automatic voter registration Gov. Shapiro implemented in 2023 and how much money has been saved. Schmidt doesn't have an exact figure, but says from experience electronic applications (via AVR) are easier to process than paper (thus less staff time).
"For better or worse" Schmidt acknowledges there have been no changes, but in federal elections more education needed. Schmidt didn't say this, but voters who participate in municipal elections are typically thought to be better informed on the rules than federal only voters.
Rep. Brown asks about budget for voter education, questioning why the proposed amount is so high when there has been no change in the law.
