Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-92
Section 3058 - Assistance in voting(a) No voter shall be permitted to receive any assistance in voting at any primary or election, unless there is recorded upon his registration card his declaration that, by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, he is unable to read the names on the ballot or on the voting machine labels, or that he has a physical disability which renders him unable to see or mark the ballot or operate the voting machine, or to enter the voting compartment or voting machine booth without assistance, the exact nature of such condition being recorded on such registration card, and unless the election officers are satisfied that he still suffers from the same condition.(b) Any elector who is entitled to receive assistance in voting under the provisions of this section shall be permitted by the judge of election to select a person of the elector's choice to enter the voting compartment or voting machine booth with him to assist him in voting, such assistance to be rendered inside the voting compartment or voting machine booth except that the judge of election, the elector's employer or an agent of the employer or an officer or agent of the elector's union shall not be eligible to assist the elector.(c) In every case of assistance under the provisions of this section, the judge of election shall forthwith enter in writing in a book to be furnished by the county board of elections, to be known as the record of assisted voters-- (2)a statement of the facts which entitle him to receive assistance; and (3)the name of the person furnishing the assistance. The record of assisted voters shall be returned by the judge of election to the county board of elections with the other papers, as hereinafter provided, and said county board shall permit the same to be examined only upon the written order of a judge of the court of common pleas: Provided, however, That such record shall be subject to subpoena to the same extent to which other election records may be subpoenaed: And provided further, That the county election board shall permit any registration commission to examine any records of assisted voters without a court order, in order that the registration commission may ascertain whether electors, who have declared, at the time of registration, their need for assistance, actually did receive assistance when voting at any election. 1937, June 3, P.L. 1333, art. XII, § 1218. Amended 1989, Feb. 13, P.L. 1, No. 1, § 2, imd. effective; 2002, Dec. 9, P.L. 1246, No. 150, § 13, effective in 60 days.