Author Archive: Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA
Pa. Republicans Drop Effort to Create ‘Election Integrity’ Panel With Subpoena Power
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Republicans have dropped their plan to create an “election integrity” panel with subpoena power, an effort Democrats feared would lead to a “stealth attack” on voting.
House GOP Leadership Calls on Lawmaker to Resign Over Vulgar Videos
HARRISBURG, Pa. — House Republican leaders are calling on a member of their caucus to resign after videos of a Lawrence County lawmaker encouraging his young son to smoke and curse emerged this week.
Lawmakers Mount New Push to Give Pa. Counties More Flexibility in Counting Mail-in Ballots
HARRISBURG, Pa. — With a partisan logjam holding up election reforms in the Pennsylvania legislature, lawmakers are making one final push to fix what county officials across the state say is the number one issue standing in the way of a timely counting of votes.
Lawmakers’ Power to Redraw Pa.’s Political Maps Could Be More Limited in 2021
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lawmakers are still in charge of drawing Pennsylvania’s political maps, but good-government advocates say a bill making its way through the state Senate would check the most egregious gerrymandering practices and boost public transparency when the process begins again next year.
Voting Victories for Democrats in Pa. Might Have Closed the Door on More Election Reform
HARRISBURG, Pa. — With less than seven weeks to go, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has significantly altered how the state’s election will run on Nov. 3, allowing ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted and giving voters the option to use satellite drop boxes.
Pa. GOP Advances Election Bill That Would Ban Drop Boxes, Get Mail-In Ballots to Voters Earlier
HARRISBURG, Pa. — With just two months to go until Nov. 3, the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday advanced a voting reform bill championed by Republicans as an effort to ensure a secure election, and decried by Democrats as an attack on ballot access.
Surge in Mail-In Ballots Could Delay Election Results, So Wolf Wants to Change the Rules
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday unveiled a wishlist of election reforms to address logistical concerns that some county and state officials fear could turn nightmarish on Nov. 3.
Thwarted at Every Turn, Pa. GOP Lawmakers Hatch New Plan to Undermine Wolf’s Emergency Powers
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Thwarted by court rulings and vetoes, Republicans in the legislature unhappy with Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to the coronavirus pandemic are plotting two new efforts to curtail his emergency powers.
Pa. Lawmakers Concerned ‘Guidance’ for Schools Could Open the Door to COVID-19 Lawsuits
HARRISBURG, Pa. — As students prepare to begin a highly unusual school year, Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday told Wolf administration officials they’re concerned the state’s COVID-19 guidance could open districts to lawsuits.
How Arguments in Washington Are Holding Up Coronavirus Relief in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — There’s roughly $1 billion in unspent federal aid sitting in Pennsylvania’s coffers. Yet key players in the Capitol say they won’t make any decisions about how to spend the cash until Washington makes up its mind on a second coronavirus relief package.
