Pennsylvania's top election official will resign after her agency's staff discovered a mistake that will block voters from deciding this spring whether to allow survivors of decades-old sexual abuse to sue the perpetrators.
The Department of State did not advertise, as required, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would open a two-year window for litigation by survivors of child sexual abuse who have aged out of the statute of limitations.
Secretary Kathy Boockvar, who oversaw a tense and difficult presidential election in the battleground state, will resign Feb. 5, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office ran the grand jury that produced the 2018 report, had harsh words for the agency.
"The Department of State's failure to carry out its responsibilities in the constitutional amendment process is shameful, and all options must be on the table to fix this immediately," Shapiro said in a tweet.
Under state law, changes to the Pennsylvania Constitution require that a proposal be approved by the legislature in two consecutive sessions.
Agency officials discovered last week that the Department of State, which oversees elections, did not advertise the proposed ballot question when it was approved in the 2019-20 session.
Monday, February 1, 2021
Top Pa. election official to resign after agency bungled requirement for constitutional amendment
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