Pennsylvania Bans Private Funding in Election Administration, Approves State Grants

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, July 11, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed into law a portion of the state’s new budget that includes rules for election funding. The $45.2 billion state budget package includes Senate Bill 892, which prohibits private funding in election administration — meaning, state and local election officials cannot receive third-party funds for election-related activities.

In what appears to be a compromise between Republican legislators and the Democratic governor, the budget includes $45 million in grants for election administrators. To qualify for the state funding, however, counties are required to open and count ballots starting at 7 a.m. on Election Day. This timeframe doesn’t permit counties to process mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day, even if election offices could benefit from the extra time.

Read S. 892 here.

Learn more about the push to ban private funds in election administration here.