Smart Talk: Online voter registration in PA; PA climate change assessment report
What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, August 31, 2015:
Pennsylvania has been slow to adopt changes to voting and how elections are operated other than an ill-fated attempt a few years ago at requiring voters to produce identification before casting a ballot that is.
A first step to modernizing the system was taken last week with very little fanfare.
The Wolf Administration acted unilaterally to allow Pennsylvanians to register to vote online. Up until now, those who wanted to vote had to register by filling out a paper form and return it to their county voter registration office by mail.
The change is expected to register more voters, be more efficient and accurate, and less expensive.
Common Cause Pennsylvania Executive Director Barry Kauffman appears on Monday’s Smart Talk to discuss online registration and other changes he would like to see.
Also, temperatures in Pennsylvania could be on averfage five degrees higher by the year 2050. That’s according to research conducted at Penn State University and was part of the 2015 Climate Impacts Assessment report.
The report indictaed the change will result in more insects and pests, increased insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, more storms and flooding but less snow.
StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Susan Phillips joins us with details of the report.
