PRINTER'S NO. 1285
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.1158
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY FINK, HAMM, KAUFFMAN, BERNSTINE, GLEIM, STAATS AND
ANDERSON, APRIL 7, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 7, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
"An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
and defining membership of county boards of elections;
imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
elections," in preliminary provisions, providing for
designation of Election Day as legal holiday; and, in
election districts and polling places, further providing for
public buildings to be used where possible and portable
polling places.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known
as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 108. Designation of Election Day as Legal Holiday.--
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, known as
Election Day, is designated a legal holiday in this
Commonwealth.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24 Section 2. Section 527(a) of the act is amended to read:
Section 527. Public Buildings to Be Used Where Possible;
Portable Polling Places.--(a) In selecting polling places, the
county board of elections shall, wherever possible and
practicable, select schoolhouses, municipal buildings or rooms,
or other public buildings for that purpose. Any board of public
education or school directors, or county or the municipal
authorities shall[, upon request of the county board, ] make
arrangements for the use of school property, or of county or
municipal property for polling places. In selecting polling
places, the county board of elections shall make every effort to
select polling places that provide all electors with an
environment that is free from intimidation and violence.
In the event no available public building as contemplated
under this section is situated within the boundaries of any
election district, the county board of elections may, not less
than twenty days prior to any election, designate as the polling
place for such election district any such public building
situated in another election district within the same or
immediately adjacent ward, or, if there are no wards, then
within the same borough or township as the case may be, provided
such other building is located in an election district which is
immediately adjacent to the boundary of the election district
for which it is to be the polling place and is directly
accessible therefrom by public street or thoroughfare. Two or
more polling places may be located in the same public building
under this section. A polling place may be selected and
designated hereunder less than twenty days prior to any
election, with the approval of a court of competent
jurisdiction.
20250HB1158PN1285 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30 * * *
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20250HB1158PN1285 - 3 -
1
2