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Committee restores 7 a.m. pre‑canvass requirement, reports election bill 15–11
Summary
The House State Government Committee agreed to an amendment reinstating a requirement that counties begin pre‑canvassing no later than 7 a.m. on Election Day and reported House Bill 37 to the next stage by a 15–11 vote. Supporters said the change helps counties manage workload and preserve timely results; opponents warned of redundancy and observer challenges.
The House State Government Committee on Thursday agreed to amend and report House Bill 37, restoring a requirement that county boards begin pre‑canvassing no later than 7 a.m. on Election Day. The amendment to reinsert the 7 a.m. start time passed 24–2; the bill as amended was reported out by a vote of 15–11.
Representative Webster praised the bill’s aim to give election workers administrative time ahead of Election Day, saying the change would “modernize a little bit” of the process and help counties be prepared to announce results on time.
“Precanvassing does not mean counting early,” Webster added, stressing the measure is intended to allow counties to open envelopes and perform administrative tasks that help voters cure defects and ensure ballots are properly processed.
Chairman Roy urged a no vote, calling the bill “a solution in search of a problem,” and saying election integrity grants and new equipment have enabled counties to complete mail‑in counts promptly in recent cycles. He also raised practical concerns about observer availability for processes that might now take place over multiple days.
Representative Walsh echoed the worry that starting pre‑canvassing days in advance could create a risk if partial results leaked: “What would happen three or four days into pre‑canvassing if election results leaked out?” she asked, saying any premature disclosures could disenfranchise voters on Election Day.
Representative Diamond opposed the change on the grounds that the existing 7 a.m. start creates uniformity across the Commonwealth’s 67 counties; he warned the proposal risked producing 67 different timelines and interpretations of precanvassing.
The committee’s recorded roll call produced the 15–11 result to report the bill to the next stage of consideration. The amendment that reinstated the 7 a.m. requirement (A02867) was described during the hearing as necessary to satisfy an existing grant agreement tied to the election integrity grant program.
