Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed an election reform bill Wednesday that included a voter ID mandate, earlier in-person voting and signature checks for mail-in ballots.
“Just vetoed House Bill 1300. I made it clear I would sign a bill that creates barriers to voting,” the governor tweeted.
“But that’s exactly what this bill does by: Limiting mail ballots, Capping early voting, Cutting voter registration time.”
Just vetoed House Bill 1300.
I made it clear I wouldn’t sign a bill that creates barriers to voting.
But that’s exactly what this bill does by:
Limiting mail ballots
— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) June 30, 2021
Pennsylvania House Bill 1300 would have given counties five days before election day to start canvassing absentee and mail-in ballots and allow early voting to start six days before election day, according to WFMZ-TV.
Democratic critics of the bill said it did not allow enough time for processing votes and expressed concerns about proposed ballot box limitations.
Wolf called the bill “the latest scheme by Republican legislators to suppress your freedom to vote.”
“Pennsylvania had a free and secure election. Period. Yet GOP leaders wasted the last few months spewing lies and chasing the conspiracy theories that drove this deceptive bill,” he tweeted.
“While this bill includes some election improvements that I’ve called for, such as pre-canvassing time, it’s riddled with voting barriers.”
While this bill includes some election improvements that I’ve called for, such as pre-canvassing time, it’s riddled with voting barriers.
I took an oath to protect our democracy, and I will oppose any effort to limit Pennsylvanians’ right to vote.
— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) June 30, 2021
In his letter to the state House announcing his veto, Wolf said the bill “is ultimately not about improving access to voting or election security, but about restricting the freedom to vote.”
“If adopted, it would threaten to disrupt election administration, undermine faith in government, and invite costly, time-consuming, and destabilizing litigation,” the governor wrote.
Pennsylvania state Sens. Jake Corman and Kim Ward, both Republican, expressed their disappointment in Wolf’s veto in a joint statement.
“The people of our Commonwealth have made it clear that they want an election system they can believe in,” the state senators said.
“In fact, election reform ranks among the most serious concerns of Pennsylvanians in statewide polling, including the 74 percent of citizens who recently voiced their support for voter ID, which is why the General Assembly addressed this important matter before the end of June.”
The Voter Right Protection Act would provide every qualifying voter a voter ID free of charge.
“Governor Wolf was asked on several occasions to participate and provide input in the process, but he instead opted to defend the national democrats party line and kowtow to special interests by crying foul to voter suppression in the media rather than rolling up his shirt sleeves and coming to the table for the people of Pennsylvania,” Corman and Ward said.
“Today’s veto by Governor Wolf of the Voter Rights Protection Act is an out-of-touch move that goes against the majority of Pennsylvanians, including members of his own party.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
