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Prior to this year's November election, the state did launch an online-registration initiative which allowed voters to register over the Internet.
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Coalition pushes for voting reforms to get more to the polls in Pennsylvania

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Coalition pushes for voting reforms to get more to the polls in Pennsylvania

Bemoaning a 25 percent turnout in this fall's general election, a nonpartisan coalition wants to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to vote, proposing reforms like same-day registration and optional voting by mail. But it's unclear whether reforms could have an impact on next year's presidential election.

Keystone Votes is seeking a sweeping overhaul of restrictions on voter registration and access to the polls.

Many voters "really struggle to make it to the polls on Election Day," said Karen Buck, executive director of Philadelphia-based SeniorLAW Center. And all voters, she said, "would welcome more flexibility and choice in deciding when and how to cast a vote."

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Other members of the group include the state League of Women Voter Pennsylvania Voice, Common Cause Pennsylvania and the state ACLU.

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While coalition members say they are open to a range of reforms, they're focusing on four to begin with. First, the coalition espouses a "no-excuse absentee ballot," which will allow voters to vote by mail without having to provide a reason. Absentee ballots are currently limited to those with disabilities or medical excuses, or who will be traveling.

Second, the group advocates in-person voting at polls prior to Election Day -- a reform already in place in 33 other states and Washington D.C. Third, it advocates "same-day registration," in which unregistered voters can register to vote on Election Day itself. Sara Mullen, associate director of the state ACLU, called that last reform "one of the biggest ways to increase turnout." The option exists in 14 states and Washington D.C., she said, and had been found to increase turn out by 10 percent.

The group also supports allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register: While they couldn't vote until they were 18, the law would allow them to register when they obtain their driver's license.

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Currently, Pennsylvania's voter access laws are notably restrictive. In a phone call with reporters, the reform advocates said Pennsylvania was one of only nine states not to have any of the proposals in place. Passing them may well prove an uphill climb: During the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett, the state fought a protracted legal battle over a controversial voter ID bill, which the state Supreme Court ultimately rejected.

Prior to this year's November election, the state did launch an online-registration initiative which allowed voters to register over the Internet. But that change was delayed for years: State law has allowed it for more than a decade, according to Common Cause executive director Barry Kauffman, and the Department of State had the technology ready to roll out in the Corbett administration.

The reforms proposed today would all require new legislation, and some "are going to be efforts for the long haul, and we’re in this for the long haul," said Mr. Kauffman.

Pennsylvania Voice executive director Erin Casey said it was difficult to determine what a timeline would be for the changes. "It's hard to predict if we can see these policies in place by the 2016 elections," she said.

Until now, she said, legislators "haven't made voting a priority," but she said there was growing public and political awareness of its importance. In an effort to build that awareness, the groups have already launched a website, www.keystonevotes.com, and said they plan to meet with public officials and stakeholders in the months ahead.

“We know [the proposed reforms] work, and they are not costly, and they will preserve the integrity of our elections," said Susan Carty, board president of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. The coalition said there was no evidence that such reforms had enabled voter fraud in states where they had been put in place.

The groups also made a bipartisan appeal, suggesting that increased turnout wouldn't help one party more than the other.

“Updating Pennsylvania's election system isn’t just good policy, it’s good politics.” said Mr. Kauffman. And in an era where elected officials are sharply polarized, he said, progress on the issue would offer evidence that “just maybe they can work together to get things done.”

Chris Potter: cpotter@post-gazette.com.

First Published: November 17, 2015, 5:12 p.m.

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Prior to this year's November election, the state did launch an online-registration initiative which allowed voters to register over the Internet.  (Tony Dejak/Associated Press)
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