Government Accountability

Election Reform in Pennsylvania

  • November 25, 2024

Summary Ahead of the 2020 election, Pennsylvania allowed no-excuse mail-in voting for the first time. Officials overwhelmed with millions of ballot requests, last-minute state guidance, and litigation resulted in delayed…

Fact Sheet

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Government Accountability

Voter ID Constitutional Amendment

  • January 16, 2023

Key Points Voter ID requirements improve election integrity, while voter turnout increases, without impacting election outcomes.Pennsylvania voters support Voter ID requirements by a wide margin, with support across all regions…

Backgrounder

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Criminal Justice Reform

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Jessica Barnett
  • August 3, 2022

Key Points The Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force (Task Force) found most youth entering the juvenile justice system committed low-level offenses and are “low risk to reoffend.”[1]Studies…

Backgrounder

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Government Accountability

Study: Pa. Taxpayers on Hook for at Least $42 Million in Lobbying Costs

  • December 6, 2021

December 6, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.—Pennsylvania taxpayers paid for at least $42 million in lobbying expenses from 2007–2020, according to two reports released today by the Commonwealth Foundation. The $42 million…

Press Release

Read More: Study: Pa. Taxpayers on Hook for at Least $42 Million in Lobbying Costs

Government Accountability

How Pa. Governments Use Tax Dollars to Pay Associations to Lobby

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Jessica Barnett
  • December 1, 2021

Prohibiting local governments and government agencies from diverting public funds to these associations would increase transparency and prevent taxpayers’ dollars from funding lobbying harmful to taxpayers.

Backgrounder

Read More: How Pa. Governments Use Tax Dollars to Pay Associations to Lobby

Government Accountability

How Pa. Governments Use Tax Dollars to Pay Contract Lobbyists

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Jessica Barnett
  • December 1, 2021

Prohibiting local governments and government agencies from diverting public funds to these associations would increase transparency and prevent taxpayers’ dollars from funding lobbying harmful to taxpayers.

Backgrounder

Read More: How Pa. Governments Use Tax Dollars to Pay Contract Lobbyists

Pennsylvania’s Use of ARPA Funds

  • Brandon Van Dyck
  • September 23, 2021

ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal bill passed in March 2021. Supporters of the legislation argued that our country needed the added spending to stimulate a nationwide recovery from the…

Fact Sheet

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Steps to Enhance Election Integrity

  • June 2, 2021

In 2020, Pennsylvania’s newly amended election law struggled under unprecedented mail-in voting. In addition, last-minute state guidance and judicial decisions skirted state election law, further delaying results and causing confusion.

Fact Sheet

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Op-Ed: Fight Against PA Guv’s Powers Reflects Bipartisan Trend

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 15, 2021

The Pennsylvania General Assembly’s efforts to restrict Wolf’s emergency declaration – renewed four times – has reached its endgame in the form of two constitutional amendments in a statewide voter…

Commentary

Read More: Op-Ed: Fight Against PA Guv’s Powers Reflects Bipartisan Trend