PRINTER'S NO. 272
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 32
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, SCHLOSSBERG, MADDEN, SANCHEZ, HANBIDGE,
HILL-EVANS, DELLOSO, KINKEAD AND D. WILLIAMS, MARCH 10, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 10, 2023
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
2 study on the current utilization of poll workers, polling
3 places, voting compartments and voting machines to determine
4 the best course of action in order to minimize the time
5 investment required to vote and ensure that the average time
6 required to vote does not promote inequities based on
7 geography, economic status, race, gender or other relevant
8 factors.
9 WHEREAS, The United States conducts elections unlike any
10 other country in the world, empowering states to implement
11 elections by entrusting local officials in more than 10,000
12 jurisdictions to run elections; and
13 WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, all elections are conducted in each
14 voting precinct by a district election board; and
15 WHEREAS, District election boards consist of a judge of
16 election, majority inspector of election and minority inspector
17 of election; and
18 WHEREAS, Poll workers are often volunteers who have received
19 only a few hours of training; and
20 WHEREAS, The act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as
21 the Pennsylvania Election Code, stipulates that election
 1 districts may not contain more than 1,200 registered electors,
2 except for good cause shown, and requires each election district
3 to contain a polling place; and
4 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Election Code requires that each
5 polling place have at least one voting compartment for every 200
6 registered qualified electors, or a fraction thereof, and have
7 no more than one machine for every 350 registered qualified
8 electors, or a fraction thereof, nor less than one machine for
9 every 600 registered qualified electors, or a fraction thereof;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, A combination of factors often leads to increased
12 wait times at polling places, discouraging individuals from
13 voting and disproportionately affecting poorer citizens with
14 less flexibility at work; and
15 WHEREAS, In 2018, Black and Latino voters waited in line for
16 11 minutes on average, compared to just 9 minutes on average for
17 white voters; and
18 WHEREAS, As the percentage of nonwhite voters in a precinct
19 increased, so did the time it took to cast a ballot; and
20 WHEREAS, In 2020, some voters saw major delays at polling
21 places, especially in majority-minority neighborhoods; therefore
22 be it
23 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
24 State Government Commission to conduct a study on the current
25 utilization of poll workers, polling places, voting compartments
26 and voting machines to determine the best course of action in
27 order to minimize the time investment required to vote and
28 ensure that the average time required to vote does not promote
29 inequalities based upon geography, economic status, race, gender
30 or other relevant factors; and be it further
20230HR0032PN0272 - 2 -
 1 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission study
2 shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
3 (1) A breakdown of the current utilization of poll
4 workers, polling places, voting compartments and voting
5 machines by county and by election district.
6 (2) The average wait time to vote by county.
7 (3) The average wait time to vote based upon geography,
8 economic status, race, gender and any other factor deemed
9 relevant by the Joint State Government Commission.
10 (4) What extent changes can be made at the county level
11 to minimize wait times for in-person voting.
12 (5) What extent changes can be made at the election
13 district level to minimize wait times for in-person voting.
14 (6) Recommendations for legislative or administrative
15 action to minimize wait times for in-person voting;
16 and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission be
18 authorized to request information from the Department of State
19 and the Secretary of the Commonwealth for the study on behalf of
20 the House of Representatives; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission be
22 authorized to request information from county boards of
23 elections for the study on behalf of the House of
24 Representatives; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission be
26 authorized to request information from district election boards
27 for the study on behalf of the House of Representatives; and be
28 it further
29 RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission report
30 its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives
20230HR0032PN0272 - 3 -
1 no later than one year after the adoption of this resolution.
20230HR0032PN0272 - 4 -