John,

Yesterday was a BIG day in PA!

1. On National Voter Registration Day, Governor Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania will now automatically register eligible Pennsylvanians to vote when they obtain or renew identification cards and driver licenses.

The following is a statement from New Pennsylvania Project CEO Kadida Kenner on Tuesday’s announcement from Gov. Josh Shapiro on the implementation of Automatic Voter Registration in Pennsylvania:

“The announcement that Pennsylvania will begin utilizing PennDot as a means to automatically register more voters is welcomed news on National Voter Registration Day. The New Pennsylvania Project (NPP) is grateful that Governor Shapiro has taken these steps to increase Pennsylvanian’s access to the ballot box. With more than 1.2 million people eligible to vote but unregistered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, today’s announcement will undoubtedly help to close the voter registration gap, especially in communities of color where the gap is the most pronounced. NPP looks forward to continuing our year round work of civic education, voter registration, mobilization, and advocating for additional necessary steps to improve Pennsylvanian’s access to democracy such as same-day voter registration and true early voting, and eliminating any unnecessary barriers to the ballot box.”

2. Special Election Alert: Voters in PA House District 21 elected Lindsay Powell, who is now the first Black woman to represent the 21st District, keeping the Democratic majority in the state house.
 

There was a critical special election in Allegheny County for the PA State House District 21 after Democrat Sara Innamorato resigned from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to focus her attention on the race for Allegheny County Executive.

This race was critical because, with Representative Innamorato’s resignation, the PA House was back at a 101-101 tie, which meant what happened during the special election was set to decide the majority of the State House - again.

These headlines are huge! Pennsylvanians deserve a reflective state legislature that prioritizes the needs of the community, and this major victory coupled with the announcement of automatic voter registration is just the beginning of the journey to achieve that.

We need to keep this momentum going through November, we need your help. Can you donate $25 or more to help fund our voter registration and mobilization efforts today?