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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Jaret Gibbons |
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Gibbons proposes bill to give all registered voters a say in Pa. primary
HARRISBURG, April 18 – State Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler, today introduced legislation that would give people registered as Independent the opportunity to vote in primary elections. By filing a provisional party registration with their local election board, Independent voters would be able to vote in primary elections.
"I think all registered voters should have the opportunity to support the candidate of their choice in any election," Gibbons said. "However, our current laws prevent registered Independent voters from participating in primary elections."
Gibbons said his legislation, H.B. 2482, would permit Independent voters to file an affidavit or provisional party registration with the county election district no later than 30 days before each primary. This would allow the voter to commit to a party for primary purposes only and his/her registration would never officially change.
"The goal of this bill is to get voters involved without falling prey to some of the Election Day issues other states have had in these cases – like running out of ballots," Gibbons said. "This measure would give municipalities the ability to run an organized election while involving more of the community."
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