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Welcome to our new Pennsylvania State Director, Saleem Chapman! Drop Saleem a line at saleem@bfa.us.
Voters deserve timely election results in Pennsylvania. Join our business campaign to support pre-canvassing of mail-in and absentee ballots.
Learn more at BFA | PA Pre-canvassing
Get to know more about Business for America PA!
Download our fact sheet which provides an overview of our work and our priorities in 2023. Contact us for more information!
A well-functioning democracy is critical to the success of a competitive free market economy, whether it be at the federal or state level. Businesses in the Commonwealth are encouraged by recent bipartisan efforts that have resulted in a coalition government where moderation and cooperation will hopefully prevail. In many ways, Pennsylvania serves as a blueprint for the rest of our nation. It is made up of diverse geography and demographics, and an engaged citizenry that is concerned about polarization and hyper-partisanship that is stunting economic success.
Business for America launched our presence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2019 in an effort to support the modernization of the rules and procedures by which elections are run. Private sector leaders understand that a growing lack of confidence in how elections are conducted undermines trust in our representative democracy.
In response, BFA has formed a partnership with the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative to mobilize the business community behind democratic reforms, voting rights, and safe, secure, & fair elections.
Our previous Pennsylvania campaign over the last two years — Back to Business PA (BBPA) — supported the election administration and voting modernization reforms adopted in 2019 through passage of the bipartisan AB 77. In the midst of the pandemic, we encouraged the legislature to focus on economic recovery measures and restoring trust in the election system. Over 100 companies signed on to our letter to the PA legislature, encouraging lawmakers to focus on the urgent needs of businesses and communities in the Commonwealth. In 2020, BFA mobilized businesses to provide much needed PPE to the Dept. of State and local election officials to ensure a safe election in the midst of the pandemic.
We work with members of both political parties to ensure Pennsylvania lawmakers understand the business and economic case for voting rights, fair districting, election integrity, and greater civility and cooperation in Harrisburg.
Civics education in public, charter, and parochial schools
A 2021 study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that only 56% of American adults can name all three branches of government. A robust democracy requires its citizenry to be informed and engaged. And, a more civically literate public contributes to a more productive workforce. BFA is building a statewide business coalition to support these efforts.
Pre-canvassing of ballots
The Pennsylvania election code specifies that counties can only start counting mail-in ballots at 7am on Election Day. By allowing more time for counties to pre-canvass (open and prepare ballots) as many states do, the delay in reporting Pennsylvania’s election results will be greatly reduced. This in turn will increase public confidence in the election system.
Uniform election policies throughout the state
Act 77 fundamentally changed how Pennsylvania conducts its elections. However, it has been implemented unevenly in counties across the state, causing doubt among some citizens that election officials are truly fair. The PA legislature needs to codify uniform election policies to assist election administrators in running smooth, transparent elections.
Contact BFA’s Pennsylvania Policy Director Saleem Chapman.
About BFA | Pennsylvania
Business for America | Pennsylvania is run in partnership with the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative (WPPC), a network of several thousand small businesses that form a single entrepreneurship engine to accelerate growth. WPPC has facilitated $23 billion of investment and development in West Philadelphia and advocates for contracting opportunities with local and minority-owned businesses.
