HARRISBURG, PA (Sept. 10) – Following months of statewide discussions with local election administrators, the Democracy Defense Foundation Pennsylvania Board today released a report calling on the General Assembly to enact practical reforms to the state’s election code.
The findings are grounded in a series of roundtable discussions and site visits across 10 diverse Pennsylvania counties: Allegheny, Berks, Carbon, Dauphin, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mercer, Westmoreland, York and Philadelphia.
The report reveals that regardless of a county’s size, geographic location or political leanings, local officials share common concerns over the mechanics of running free, fair and efficient elections under the current state framework.
According to the report, officials most often identified the following concerns:
- Restrictions on when mail ballots may be opened and prepared
- How quickly registrations and mail-ballot applications must be processed
- The lack of uniform statewide standards for drop boxes and over-the-counter voting
- The amount of training and legal guidance county offices receive
These frontline findings align closely with recent public opinion data. A July poll commissioned by the Democracy Defense Foundation Pennsylvania Board showed that 74% of Pennsylvanians express confidence in their local election administrators, and 57% support giving counties more time to prepare mail ballots for counting before Election Day.
To address these challenges, the report recommends that the General Assembly’s first step should be to fill all open seats on the state’s Election Law Advisory Board so the panel can develop recommendations for the Legislature by Dec. 31.
“If such revisions are undertaken, we expect Pennsylvanians’ confidence in the security and accuracy of their elections to increase substantially, and participation rates to rise with it, to the benefit of the Commonwealth’s citizens and communities,” the report concluded. “The Pennsylvania Board of the Democracy Defense Foundation stands ready to assist in this effort.”
Board members plan to continue its county visits and supplement this report with further learnings.
Click here to download and read the report.
Published: Sep 10, 2026
