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Hi John,
Welcome to the latest New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) newsletter!
Earlier this week, the PA [[link removed]] House State Government Committee [[link removed]] [[link removed]] voted on two bills that have the potential to impact our voting rights: State Rep Mehaffie's Voter ID bill (HB771) and State Rep. McClinton's omnibus bill (HB1396). Both passed out of committee this week and will now be voted on by the full house.
An omnibus bill is a legislative bill that combines multiple, sometimes unrelated, provisions or bills into one single bill. It's essentially a package deal of different legislative proposals, often used to facilitate the passage of legislation, particularly appropriations bills.
HB 771 is sponsored by State Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (Dauphin) and “would require all voters arriving at their election precincts to show identification or attest under penalty of law that they are legally able to vote in Pennsylvania.”
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (Philadelphia) voiced his opposition to the bill. The bill doesn’t address [[link removed]] the real issues at stake. “We need to solve problems of voter irregularities and voter fraud,” he said. “We do not have demonstrable evidence that leads us to make the point that we need to address voter ID in this way. Let’s talk about the issues that do exist. This legislation doesn’t address those.”
HB 1396 has a more recognizable name behind it – Speaker of the State House Joanna McClinton (Delaware/Philadelphia). State Rep. Ben Waxman (Philadelphia) complemented the Speaker, saying that the legislation is a “comprehensive approach to election reform that tries to dramatically improve the process and makes administration of elections much smoother.”
Among other changes, [[link removed]] House Bill 1396 would also give election workers up to a week before Election Day to prepare to count mail-in ballots, a process that has been a bottleneck for election results in parts of the state, providing fodder for election deniers.
The vote-by-mail provision has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, including one now before the U.S. Supreme Court, as candidates and parties have argued over how election officials should handle irregularities, such as errors on completed ballots, that are not explicitly addressed.
The bill would make clear that county election officials are required to notify voters if their mail-in ballots have been rejected for the lack of a signature and give the voter an opportunity to “cure” the error.
Upcoming events
As Allegheny County voters prepare for the pivotal 2025 local, municipal and judicial elections, the New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) is hosting two critical public candidate forums to give community members the chance to hear directly from the candidates shaping our schools and courts. These moderated discussions will allow voters to ask questions and learn more about each candidate’s priorities and qualifications before heading to the polls.
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Meet the candidates running for the Pittsburgh School Board and hear how they plan to impact our schools and students.
Moderator: Dr. Kimeka Campbell is our Senior Director of Campaigns and Engagement. She is a recognized community activist, political strategist, and civic engagement leader.
With over 15 years of experience in community organizing, political consulting, and nonprofit leadership, Dr. Campbell has been instrumental in shaping voter engagement strategies and building coalitions for progressive change. She co-founded Young Professionals of Color–Greater Harrisburg (YPOC), an organization dedicated to fostering leadership, advocacy, and professional growth for communities of color.
When: Friday, May 9, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Ave, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
RSVP [[link removed]]
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Get to know the Allegheny County Common Pleas judicial candidates before you cast your ballot.
Your vote shapes our justice system!
Moderator: Rachel Bracken, Alliance for Justice (AFJ), Senior Regional State Courts Manager
Rachel is a Senior Regional State Courts Manager with Alliance for Justice/AFJ Action. In this position, she manages AFJ/AFJ Action’s involvement in state supreme court justice elections and selection processes. Prior to joining the Justice Team, Rachel was on AFJ’s Outreach Team where she helped create AFJ’s State Court Justice Project and launch AFJ Action’s State Courts Matter initiative. She also coordinated AFJ’s networks of law professors, attorneys, and political donors to advocate around federal judicial nominations and federal courts’ impact on our constitutional rights and freedoms.
When: Monday, May 12, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Ave, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
RSVP [[link removed]]
Social Media of the Week
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The deadline to request your mail-in ballot for the primary election is May 13th at 5PM.
Request a mail-in ballot or find your local ballot drop-off location here [vote.pa]
Your county election office must receive your completed mail ballot by 8PM on May 20th.
We recommend mailing it at least 5 days prior, or delivering it by hand at an official ballot drop off location.
#GoVotePA
SHARE ON INSTAGRAM [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] #CourtsMatter
This past Friday, Courts delivered wins for Pennsylvania voters [[link removed]] . One ruling ensured that undated or wrongly dated mail-in ballots will be counted, while the other rejected a bid to purge more than 277,000 from the state’s voter rolls.
First, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied [[link removed]] a request by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday (R), on behalf of the state, to halt a recent federal court ruling that Pennsylvania must count undated or wrongly dated mail-in ballots.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit originally filed [[link removed]] in 2022, challenging the state’s instructions to county boards of elections that any mail-in ballot that’s timely cast but either missing a date or containing the wrong date on the outer return envelopes should not be counted.
After the federal judge’s ruling in March of this year, the plaintiffs appealed [[link removed]] the decision to the 3rd Circuit. The appeal remains ongoing, but today’s order ensures that counties will count wrongly dated and undated ballots during this month’s primary.
Second, a Pennsylvania district court judge dismissed a lawsuit by the 1789 Foundation to have hundreds of thousands of voters purged from Pennsylvania’s voter rolls.The 1789 Foundation, also known as Citizen_AG, filed [[link removed]] a lawsuit in October against Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt (R) claiming Schmidt failed to maintain voter rolls in line with the National Voter Registration Act.
The group wanted the court to force Pennsylvania to remove 277,000 registrants who did not respond to confirmation notices in the 2020 general election cycle removed from the voter rolls.
District Court judge Robert Mariani dismissed [[link removed]] the 1789 Foundation’s lawsuit on the grounds that the organization lacked standing to bring the case in the first place.
In law, standing [[link removed](law)] is a condition that a party seeking a legal remedy must show they have, by demonstrating to the court, sufficient connection to and harm from the law or action challenged to support the party's participation in the case.
In other news, this year marks the 15th anniversary of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that fundamentally reshaped the world of campaign finance. For good-government supporters, it’s a somber milestone. Find out why in Spotlight PA’s full report. [[link removed]]
The 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , they say, vastly expanded the role of big money in politics and ushered in an era of unprecedented — and in some cases, untraceable — spending on elections by ultra-wealthy special interests.
In Pennsylvania, the court decision’s impact on races for state and local offices was muted — at least early on. That is because of Pennsylvania’s notoriously lax campaign finance laws. Some state lawmakers have sought to tighten rules around so-called “dark money” groups, but their legislation didn’t make it through the full legislature. Continue reading for more on Citizens United and its lasting impact [[link removed]] .
[[link removed]] We are hiring!
Let's provide civic education together!
We're looking for people passionate about voting rights in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Erie, Lawrence, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware County to help us shape the future of Pennsylvania.
Join our team and help us provide civic education in our communities and register folks to vote!
Positions start at $20 an hour.
Interested? Contact [email protected] [[email protected]]
EMAIL US [[email protected]]
News You Can Use
There are things every one of us can do [[link removed]] in our daily lives to help ensure free and fair elections. Some actions are small — so small that you might dismiss them as unimportant. Don’t. Every important journey begins with a single step, and the first is no less important than the last.
1. Educate Yourself
Elections can be complicated. The rules vary from state to state — and sometimes even from county to county. These rules also change frequently due to new laws, policies or court rulings. My first recommendation: spend time each month learning what’s happening with voting laws in your state and nationally.
Spotlight PA has an 2025 Election Center [[link removed]] with all the information you need to be prepared to vote this year, including guides to the big races, key dates, and more.
* New: Which Pittsburgh mayoral candidate most aligns with you? Take our quiz [[link removed]]
* Get answers to your questions with our AI-powered Election Assistant [[link removed]]
* Everything you need to know about mail voting [[link removed]] , becoming a poll worker [[link removed]]
* Everything you need to know about how to vote and where to vote [[link removed]]
* Guides to Commonwealth, Superior Courts [[link removed]] , vetting judicial candidates [[link removed]]
* Guides to State College school board [[link removed]] , Reading City Council president [[link removed]]
* Guides to voting as a college student [[link removed]]
En Español
* Guía para votar por correo [[link removed]] , la presidencia del Concejo Municipal de Reading [[link removed]]
* Guía para quién está en la papeleta de las primarias [[link removed]] , cómo convertirse en trabajador electoral el 20 de mayo [[link removed]]
2. Stay Engaged
To protect democracy, we all must stay engaged day in and day out. We can’t just show up right before an election and tune out afterward. If we remain committed, democracy will win.
Check out a Montgomery County Commissioner’s effort to educate voters. It's now an emmy-nominated short film. “Running elections in Pennsylvania's third-most-populous county, Neil Makhija said he’s seen the slippery slope from election misinformation to political violence.” ( Philadelphia Inquirer [[link removed]] )
3. Share What You Learn
Once you’ve figured out what’s going on, share that information with your networks and community. It might feel awkward to bring up voter suppression or changes in election laws when we’re not in the middle of a major election — but local elections happen in off years, and special elections are more common than you think. Now is the perfect time to start conversations about voting.
Here, in Pennsylvania, we vote every year, twice a year!
4. Join or Support Pro-Democracy Organizations
Is partisan politics not for you? There are numerous nonprofits and grassroots organizations working every day to protect voting rights and ensure free and fair elections. Supporting these groups with your time or resources helps these groups do their work.
Check out the work New PA Project has been up to lately below. AND , check out our upcoming events listed above!
5. Become a Trained Poll Worker
Many counties face a shortage of poll workers, especially during election season. Being a poll worker requires dedication, attention to detail and a willingness to be trained. It’s a meaningful way to serve your community and help protect the integrity of the voting process.
Here are some resources that may be helpful:
Pennsylvania Capital-Star - Advocacy groups offer training for Pa. primary poll watchers [[link removed]]
Spotlight PA - Election 2025: How to become a poll worker for the PA primary [[link removed]]
Franklin County Free Press - Poll Workers Needed for Pennsylvania’s 2025 Primary Election [[link removed]]
6. Engage Your Elected Officials
Call and write your elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Tell them that protecting voting rights and ensuring free and fair elections are your top priorities. Even better, show up at public meetings. Ask them directly what they’re doing to combat voter suppression. Be informed about pending legislation and urge them to support pro-democracy initiatives. This applies no matter where you live or who represents you — Democrat or Republican. Constituent pressure always matters. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
7. Vote in Every Election
Yes — every election. That means local elections, primary elections and special elections. Become a super-voter. The more you vote, the more informed and engaged you become. You’ll also be better positioned to notice and report problems — like changes to polling locations or voting equipment — that could impact turnout or accessibility.
Make a plan to vote in the primary election, Tuesday, May 20th. When are you voting this year? Who are you going with? How are you voting this year -- by mail or on Election Day? As a reminder, the last day to request a mail ballot is Tuesday, May 13th!
Recent Events
[[link removed]] Solidarity for Immigrants
On Monday, May 5th, also Cinco de Mayo, over 300 people, representing 18 community organizations from across Pennsylvania, gathered at the State Capitol in Harrisburg to rally for immigrant rights.
We amplified voices that have been silenced, advocated against injustice, and showed that solidarity is not just a word—it is a force that creates change.
This event was a declaration that Pennsylvania stands against injustice and division.
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NPPEF on the Ground
[[link removed]] Last Monday, May 5th was the last day to register to vote for the primary election!
Our teams were out in their communities leading up to the voter registration deadline on Monday. We helped folks ensure they have the ability to exercise their right to vote in the primary on Tuesday, May 20th.
Our teams are currently getting ready for GOTV - a time of year where we are on the ground connecting with our communities and mobilizing them to vote.
It's our favorite time of year to build relationships with those we hope to uplift.
Dauphin County
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Delaware County
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Luzerne County
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Super voters vote twice a year, every year !
Thank you for doing your part to stay informed and engaged!
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Last day to register to request a mail ballot: Tuesday, May 13th
Primary Election: Tuesday, May 20th
Last day to register to vote for the General Election: Monday, October 20th
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Tuesday, October 28th
General Election: Tuesday, November 4th
Important Links: Voter Hotlines:
PA Department of State Website [vote.pa.gov] Voter Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Upcoming elections [[link removed]] DOS PA Voter Hotline: 1-877-VOTESPA
Mail-in and Absentee Ballot [[link removed]] Spanish/English Hotline: 1-866-VE-Y-VOTA
Fact-Checking Election Claims [[link removed]] Asian Languages Hotline: 1-888-API-VOTE
Arabic/English Hotline: 1-844-YALLA-US
Paid for by the New PA Project Education Fund
New PA Project Education Fund
PO Box 453
West Chester, PA 19381
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .
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