Conklin: House Bill 1300 is nothing but ‘smoke and mirrors’
Underhanded attempt by Republicans to silence your voice
Northwest Delegation June 21, 2021 | 3:23 PM
STATE COLLEGE, June 21 – State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, issued the following statement on H.B. 1300:
“This bill is disguised as an effort to protect voter integrity and security but, in reality, it is designed to drive down voter turnout and make it harder and more complicated for Pennsylvanians to cast their vote.
“Our past two elections in the commonwealth were fairly run, free and transparent. So, why are Republicans pushing for election audits for each county following an election? Why do they want each voter to have a special ID in order to cast their ballot, severely limit drop boxes and put an end to voting by mail? It’s because they want to silence your voice and your right to vote freely and fairly. That should make you very angry and, rest assured, I will fight this bill.
“This is an attempted power grab, plain and simple, by the Republican party. This bill would also add unnecessary barriers to your right to vote, put more governmental bureaucracy upon counties and needlessly delay election results.
“I’m truly disappointed that, once again, the leadership in the House is playing politics with a bill that will never be signed into law. We should be focused on how best to use the billions of surplus dollars to provide property tax relief and quality education for our residents. Instead, we are wasting valuable time posturing for corporate donors. It’s time to dispense with the rhetoric and focus on the job we were sent to Harrisburg to do.
“When I became a member of the House of Representatives, I swore to uphold our state constitution, and that includes your right to a free and fair election. I will continue to keep that pledge.”