Pennsylvania House Bill HB1061

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/26/25
• Refer: 3/26/25

Caption

In registration system, providing for verification of citizenship; in voter registration, further providing for methods of voter registration; in penalties, further providing for duties under part; and, in provisions contingent on Federal law, further providing for removal of electors.

Summary

HB1061 would change Pennsylvania’s voter registration laws to require affirmative verification of U.S. citizenship before an applicant is treated as a qualified elector. It adds a new section directing county commissions and related election officials to assess citizenship in all registration procedures, and it amends the voter registration methods section so that registration would be allowed only upon presentation of documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill lists acceptable proof documents, including a U.S. passport, certain military and government IDs, certified birth certificates, hospital birth records, adoption decrees, consular birth reports, naturalization or citizenship certificates, and certain federal Indian documentation. The bill also expands enforcement provisions. It creates a private right of action allowing a person to sue for declaratory or injunctive relief for violations of the new citizenship-verification requirement, with possible attorney fees and damages up to $10,000 per violation. In addition, it updates the elector-removal section to allow cancellation of a registration upon indication, investigation, and verification that the elector is not a U.S. citizen. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.

Impact

HB1061 would significantly tighten voter registration eligibility requirements in Title 25 by making documentary proof of citizenship a condition of registration and by requiring election officials to verify citizenship as part of the registration process. It would affect county election commissions, registrars, and other election personnel by imposing new duties and potential criminal penalties for intentional failure to perform those duties, while also exposing officials to civil litigation under the new private right of action. The bill would also broaden the circumstances under which an elector’s registration may be removed, specifically for noncitizenship after verification.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes are provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or roll-call sentiment in the available record. Based on the bill’s sponsorship and subject matter, the measure appears to be framed by supporters as an election-integrity and citizenship-verification proposal. The absence of recorded committee action or votes means the overall legislative sentiment cannot be measured from the supplied materials.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the bill’s requirement that voters present documentary proof of citizenship to register, which could be viewed by supporters as a safeguard against noncitizen registration and by opponents as a barrier to eligible voters who lack ready access to the specified documents. Another likely dispute is the new private right of action and damages provision, which could increase litigation against election officials and counties. The elector-removal language may also raise concerns about due process, administrative burden, and the risk of erroneous removal, especially because the bill requires only an indication, investigation, and verification that a person is not a citizen.