Reflective Democracy

Common Cause Pennsylvania welcomes the news that Act 77 remains in effect during the Supreme Court proceedings. Almost 40% of Pennsylvanians who voted in the 2020 General Election used a mail ballot to cast their vote.

The constitutionality of Act 77, including the vote-by-mail provisions, was already thoroughly tested and found valid by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2020. We believe that this decision is wrong, and we hope and expect the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will take this important case up quickly.

“This is absolutely a regression from what we already have,” said Khalif Ali, the head of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan good-government group. “When I was reading through it, I was just amazed.”

Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said they are also asking the Supreme Court to end what's known as "prison gerrymandering," when people in prison are counted as residents of the county where they're incarcerated, not where they would normally vote.

“We are particularly concerned with ensuring that Pennsylvania communities are protected and that all Pennsylvanians, but especially Black, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other voters of color have an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice,” said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.

Eight voters and three community organizations took their argument to Commonwealth Court today in their effort to join a lawsuit challenging a subpoena issued by a state Senate committee to the Department of State seeking the personally identifying information of the approximately nine million registered voters in Pennsylvania.