Voting Rights

The bill will cost almost $92 million, which “could be spent improving the lives of Pennsylvanians – rather than funding legislation that will make it harder for us to vote.”

In a separate statement, Common Cause PA executive director Khalif Ali said a fiscal statement revealed a one-time implementation cost for the bill’s requirements at $99 million with annual costs approaching $19 million. “That’s an awful lot of taxpayer money for the Legislature to spend, to implement a bill that will make it harder for us to cast ballots and have our voices heard,” Ali said.

Common Cause Pennsylvania adamantly opposes both proposals. HB 1300 in its current form will place multiple restrictions on the voting process that millions of Pennsylvanians have come to depend on. SB 735 is expected to lower turnout among Black, young and new voters.

Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano visited the Arizona State Fairgrounds yesterday, where charlatan consultants have been conducting a sham review of the November 2020 general election. Voting machines and ballots have been irrevocably destroyed in the process. He is  proposing to replicate the process in Pennsylvania.

However Common Cause, an election integrity group which prides itself as a network of democracy experts says it’s a matter of human error. “Don’t get me wrong, the timing is great but we don’t consider it to be a systemic issue so we’re not ready to raise any red flags just yet," said Khalif Ali, Executive Director of Common Cause. Ali says it’s still important to vote.

“Citizens should have the right to have input on anyone who has the potential to represent them, regardless of what they’re registered as,” Khalif Ali, the executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, told City & State.