(HARRISBURG) – Senator Mike Regan strongly supports the plan to restore confidence in the state’s election system by providing oversight and beginning the process of making meaningful reforms.
“There are very legitimate and credible issues which need to be resolved after the 2020 election about the security of mail-in ballots and the process of counting votes,” Senator Regan said. “I will stand up and fight so that the voice of the people is heard, and that the rule of law is held to the highest possible standard. Pennsylvanians deserve confidence in their elections and in the government chosen by those elections. The Governor’s blatant disregard for seeking the truth is further proof and evidence of his lack of touch with the common everyday citizens of Pennsylvania.”
“The fact of the matter is we are constitutionally unable to convene the legislature until January 5th unless called by the Governor into a special session, which he stated he will not do,” Regan said. “I have joined colleagues from both the House and the Senate to exercise our ability petition the Governor to call a special session, as per our state constitution, but we are still dependent on the Governor to declare the start date of that special session. I am deeply disappointed that the legislature is not able to reconvene prior to the convening of the Electoral College to consider the serious allegations that have arisen surrounding the Presidential election here in Pennsylvania. In order to prevent situations like this in the future, Senators Arnold, Mastriano and I have introduced a proposal that would modify the PA Constitution to allow the General Assembly the option to meet through December, at the end of a two-year session, with Members who are sworn-in and ready to conduct business on behalf of the residents of Pennsylvania.”
The General Assembly will use its statutory power to investigate and seek answers to the questions presented by the 2020 General Election to specifically review three of the most pressing issues the Senate has found over the last three weeks of investigation:
1) The security of voting and manner in which votes are counted.
2) The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s management of the 2020 General Election.
3) The impact of the Judiciary on the 2020 General Election and subsequent legal candidate challenges.
In a statement released yesterday, Senate and House leaders outlined why it is impossible under the Pennsylvania Constitution for the General Assembly to convene a December session. They also highlighted the reasons why immediate legislative action to change the state’s slate of electors would have ignored state statutes and the Constitutional principles that Senate and House Republicans have fought so hard to protect.
The full statement from Senate and House Republican Leadership is available here.
CONTACT: Bruce McLanahan, bmclanahan@pasen.gov, 717-787-8524