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Bipartisan dialogue between PA state legislators on election reform in February to be announced soon!
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PAST EVENTS
Chaos or Calm: Building Confidence in the 2024 Election
January 9 | Video – Recap Blog
The PA Election Code is antiquated and consists of conflicting provisions that need to be resolved as we head into the 2024 election cycle — and it’s time for action.
Seth Bluestein, City Commissioner, Philadelphia (R), Sherene Hess, Indiana County Commissioner (D), Christian Leinbach, Berks County Commissioner (R), and Ethan Demme, a small business owner from Lancaster County discussed policies Harrisburg can enact in the 2023–2024 legislative session so elections in Pennsylvania can run more efficiently, avoid potential chaos, and restore trust.
Issued covered:
Pre-canvassing - Under current PA Election Code counties cannot open, prepare, and tabulate mail in ballots until 7am on Election Day. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania has asked for counties to be allowed to begin pre-canvassing absentee and mail-in ballots up to three weeks prior to an election.
Codifying Laws – Act 77 fundamentally changed how elections are conducted in Pennsylvania including mail-in voting, but the way the law was written fails to provide consistency across the Commonwealth.
Giving Election Administrators the Tools to Succeed – As the duties of election officials have evolved, the tools they have been provided with have not.
Impact of the Midterm Election on Pennsylvania's Business Climate
November 15 | Full webinar video
The results of the November election had a consequential impact on the health of the state’s economy and democracy. Business for America and our Back to Business campaign brought together a diverse panel to discuss how contentious issues as election security, vote by mail, infrastructure investment, and workforce development may be handled.
Speakers included Dan Pearson (Philadelphia Inquirer), Lara Putnam (University of Pittsburg), Carol Kuniholm (Fair Districts PA), and PA Policy Director Aizaz Gill.
Fair Districts PA Conference 2022: Reclaiming Our Democracy - Redistricting Rules, & Representation
December 3 | Recap coming soon!
BFA Policy Director for PA Aizaz Gill joined leaders from the Fair Districts PA rules, All Voting is Local, and Michigan Citizens Redistricting Commission to discuss redistricting, legislative rules and ways to build a stronger, broader advocacy network.
Securing Your Vote: Business Briefing on PA Election Operations with Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh Chapman
September 12 | Full Webinar Video
The Pennsylvania Business community has an essential role to play in the November 2022 General Election. Through ensuring that accurate election information is distributed, we can have confidence that our elections are secure, accessible and efficient.
On September 12th, Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh Chapman held a briefing for PA's business community on her department's efforts for November 2022, and how we can maximize the engagement of employees, customers, and community members in the next election.
She shared the steps state and county officials are taking to account for the large number of expected mail-in ballots, report the results in a timely manner, and make sure the security systems are in place to guarantee that every valid ballot is counted. Ms. Chapman reiterated the importance of business leaders to be a reliable source of information before, during, and after the election.
Searching for Common Ground on Election Integrity: A Bipartisan Discussion
April 14| Full Webinar Video
Opportunities for constructive dialogue between elected officials of opposing parties are too rare. In the pursuit of common ground, Back to Business PA hosted our second bipartisan dialogue, this time featuring PA State Representatives Seth Grove (R) and Scott Conklin (D). The two senior politicians explored issues related to election reform, voting access, and the impact on PA businesses and employees.
Early in the conversation, moderators Jabari Jones (West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative) and Jeff Brown (Brown's Super Stores) noted that businesses value innovation and efficiency and want state government to implement improvements to expand eligible Pennsylvanians’ access to the ballot. Rep. Grove responded by agreeing that Pennsylvania needs to “modernize an old, antiquated [election] system that dates back to 1937” and “expand access in numerous fronts from in-person early voting to curbside voting and trying to help disabled individuals vote.” Rep. Conklin concurred and stated “a vote is a vote. It doesn’t matter whether you cast it early.” While the two State Representatives did not agree on every point, it was encouraging to observe a civil and constructive discussion.
You can watch the video in full or read our blog post summarizing the conversation.
PAST EVENTS
PA: The Future of Mail Voting at Stake
Mar 10 | Briefing
PA Election Reform: Why Business Should Care
Feb 2 | Webinar
A Bipartisan Fireside Chat: PA Election Reform & Economic Recovery
Dec 16 | Webinar
Getting Pennsylvania Back to Business
Oct 1 | Webinar
Get to know Business for America PA!
Download our fact sheet which provides an overview of our work and our priorities in 2023. Contact Aizaz Gill, our PA Policy Director for more information!
On, November 15, BFA PA held an election debrief to discuss the impact of the midterm elections on the Pennsylvania business climate.
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Press Conference: Pennsylvania small business owners raise alarm about need to protect democracy (Video)
Business leaders throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania feel responsible for the interests of their employees, customers, communities, and economy. In the wake of the pandemic, many businesses and residents are suffering. PA businesses need relief, many facing possible shutdown due to unpaid bills and back-rent. Thousands of PA families are still unemployed and experiencing financial hardships. Millions in federal aid sit unspent.
Instead of focusing on these critical issues, our legislature is threatening to make it more difficult to vote.
The right to vote is sacred. Our elections must be both secure and inclusive — but we must not sacrifice one for the other. Civic-minded business leaders oppose any effort by the state legislature to make it harder for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. It is unfortunate, that since the November election and following two statewide post election audits confirming the accuracy of last fall's count and the results being certified, some legislators continue to call for another costly audit.
It doesn't have to be like this. In 2019, Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass the historic Act 77, the most significant improvement to Pennsylvania's elections in more than 80 years. Those changes served the commonwealth through the 2020 election, allowing our employees and neighbors to vote more safely and securely during the pandemic, whether by absentee ballot or at early voting centers with modern voting machines. Yet today, during a global pandemic and economic crisis, our legislature is threatening to make it more difficult to vote. This is resulting in political instability in Harrisburg and impeding economic recovery.
Please join the Pennsylvania business community in asking the legislature to abandon any initiative making it harder to vote, stop wasting taxpayer monies, and get Back to Business.
The following companies have signed our nonpartisan business letter urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to stop trying to make it harder to vote and focus instead on creating economic opportunities for our future.
About Back to Business PA
Back to Business PA is co-managed by Business for America and 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.
