John — This month, I announced the first policy plan of my campaign to expand and protect our most fundamental right: the right to vote.

Over the past two years, American democracy has been threatened like never before. Dangerous lies about the 2020 election results, conspiracy theories, and frivolous litigation led to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and have inspired laws aimed at restricting the right to vote and undermining democracy.

After what we saw on January 6th, it’s more clear than ever: states like Pennsylvania have the power to protect our democracy — and we’ve got to use it.

As your Attorney General, I went to court against Trump’s allies dozens of times to defend Pennsylvanians’ right to vote and ensure every legal vote was counted. But the attacks on American democracy show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. That’s why I released the first policy platform of my campaign: my plan to defend our democracy and protect the right to vote.

My plan calls for:

• Vetoing any effort to restrict or eliminate mail-in voting, which makes voting easier, more efficient, and safe. In 2020, the use of mail-in ballots helped lead to the highest voter turnout in the last six decades.


• Appointing a Chief Election Official who will run elections fairly and uphold democracy. We need the right people and processes to ensure that every legal voter who wants to vote can do so without interference, that the process to vote is secure and uncomplicated, and that every vote is counted.


• Establishing Early In-Person Voting, which provides every legally eligible voter the opportunity to exercise their fundamental right to vote as an American ahead of Election Day.


• Extending the prohibition on firearms at polling places so that our election precincts remain welcoming and safe for voters and poll workers.


• Establishing Automatic Voter Registration. Any eligible voter 18 or older who applies for a driver’s license or state identification through the DMV would automatically be registered to vote.


• Implementing Same Day Voter Registration through Election Day. Currently, unregistered voters in Pennsylvania must register to vote 15 days before Election Day. To make voting as accessible as possible, voters should be able to both register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day during my proposed early voting period or on Election Day.


• ​​Expanding pre-registration opportunities for young voters so that juniors or seniors in high school can pre-register to vote so they will automatically be able to vote when they turn 18.

With these policies in place, every Pennsylvanian will have more opportunities to make their voice heard at the ballot box and be confident that the foundation of our democracy is strong and secure.

Stay tuned for more,

Josh Shapiro

P.S. I can’t enact policies like these unless I win the Governor’s race in November — and I can’t do that without the support of a strong grassroots team. If you’re able, would you consider donating $5 to my campaign?