kathy-boockvar

Who the Jan. 6 House committee wants to hear from in Pa. and why

BY: - February 16, 2022

In the six months since the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol convened, the Democrat-controlled panel has issued sweeping requests to hear from former Trump administration officials and supporters who worked to reverse the 2020 election results.

Pa. child abuse lawsuits held up due ‘systemic failures’ in Dept. of State, report says

BY: - May 26, 2021

In a report released Wednesday, the state Inspector General found no evidence of “intentional malfeasance” in an advertising error that delayed a Pennsylvania constitutional amendment to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers. Instead the report pointed a finger at an informal and unwritten process for tracking and overseeing constitutional amendments in […]

Wolf nominates Veronica Degraffenreid as Secretary of State

BY: - March 26, 2021

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that he would nominate veteran election administrator Veronica Degraffenreid to serve as Pennsylvania’s next Secretary of State, making her the official head of the agency that she’s been leading on an interim basis since February.  Degraffenreid joined the Department of State last year as a senior advisor on elections, according […]

COMMENTARY

Restoring survivors’ rights to pursue justice empowers them to change the narrative of abuse | Opinion

BY: - February 21, 2021

Whether abuse happened yesterday or 40 years ago, survivors deserve the opportunity to pursue healing and justice.

Pa. House agrees to fast-track legislation to salvage sex abuse reform; Senate still uncommitted

BY: - February 4, 2021

The deal would effectively undo an administrative snafu revealed earlier this week, when Wolf administration officials announced they did not publicly advertise the proposed amendment last year as required. 

COMMENTARY

It was already awkward between Wolf and lawmakers. The Boockvar blow-up just made it worse | Tuesday Morning Coffee

BY: - February 2, 2021

Wolf and lawmakers already had trust issues. Did the gap just get unbridgeable?

Top Pa. election official Boockvar to step down after error delays sex abuse reform

BY: and - February 1, 2021

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Monday that Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar would leave her post Friday, Feb. 5 after her agency failed to notify the public of a a proposed change to Pennsylvania’s constitution: an amendment that would give victims of child sexual abuse a two-year retroactive window to sue perpetrators in decades-old cases, which was on track to go before voters this year. 

Without apologies, Pa. Republicans forge ahead with election hearings spree

BY: - January 22, 2021

It isn't just the House looking into the election In the Senate, an investigatory committee on "election integrity and reform" was created by a party line vote this month.

Pa. elections chief Boockvar says she will not order statewide recount

BY: - November 13, 2020

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar confirmed Friday that she will not order a recount or recanvass of election returns in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties because no statewide candidate was defeated by one-half of 1 percent or less of the votes cast, which is the threshold under state law for such an action. President-elect Joe Biden […]

ACLU of Pa., civil rights groups file motion to intervene on ‘outrageous’ Trump campaign lawsuit

BY: - November 11, 2020

The ACLU of Pennsylvania’s motion, if granted, would allow the organizations “a seat at the table,” according to Walczak.

Red states file brief in support of Pa. GOP efforts to block late-arriving ballots from count

BY: - November 9, 2020

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas and Ohio all joined the brief, with Ohio giving its approval on the “Independent State Legislature Doctrine,” which places constitutional powers in the hands of state Legislatures, including the regulation of elections. 

COMMENTARY

The battle for Pennsylvania: Trump’s path narrows | Thursday Morning Coffee

BY: - November 5, 2020

The race tightens further as Trump's path gets ever more perilous