Prioritizing access to the ballot, transparency, and accountability

Vote by mail 

Since 2019 Pennsylvanians have had the right to vote by mail without an excuse. But some vagueness in the law has created confusion around mail voting. Common Cause Pennsylvania has worked to improve the vote-by-mail system and protect voter access to mail-in ballots.

Common Cause Pennsylvania works to protect and expand Pennsylvania voters’ right to cast a mail-in ballot. Among our policy priorities are:

• Notice and Cure: Voters who choose to cast a ballot by mail should be able to do so safely, independently, and in a way that ensures that their mail-in ballot will be accepted and counted. To accomplish this, we encourage counties to adopt policies that notify voters of errors on their mail ballot packages and help them fix those mistakes to improve ballot acceptance rates. We also advocate for legislative solutions that will make notice and cure requirements standard across Pennsylvania. 
• Drop boxes: Voters who can return their mail-in ballots directly to their county are more likely to have their ballot accepted. Accessible, secure ballot drop boxes located at multiple sites throughout a county help voters do this conveniently and ensure that ballots are received before the Election Day deadline. Common Cause Pennsylvania advocates drop box use in all counties so voters can securely return their mail-in ballots no matter their zip code.
• Satellite Election Offices: When voting is more convenient, more voters vote. Having satellite election offices available before Election Day to help voters register to vote, apply for and submit mail-in ballots and fix mistakes on their mail-in ballot package makes voting more convenient for all voters and helps boost voter turnout. We have worked to encourage counties to adopt satellite elections offices to help reduce long lines at the polling places and help voters successfully cast their mail ballots.

Transparency in Campaigns

Voters have the right to know who is trying to influence their elections. From dark money and foreign influence to misleading campaign messaging, Common Cause Pennsylvania is working to shine a light on influence and interference that dilutes the voice of the people. More specifically, we are working to: 

Combat dark money and foreign influence on our political system: We work to limit the influence of money in politics and give power back to the people. We advocate for limiting foreign spending on political campaigns, disclosing dark money campaign contributions, banning gifts to elected officials, and limiting the size of political donations.

Regulate the use of artificial intelligence in political campaigns: Generative AI is a tool that can easily be misused to sow distrust and spread misinformation in elections. We advocate for robust and inclusive disclosures on AI-generated political content to protect voters from false election information while respecting First Amendment rights.