Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is stepping down and as of Friday she will no longer be part of Governor Tom Wolf’s administration.
The decision comes after it was reported that Boockvar’s department failed to announce a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would retroactively extend the deadline for victims of sexual assault to bring civil actions against their attackers. A press release from Wolf’s office said that, due to this error, the amendment process should start from scratch unless the state legislature approves a bill.
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Boockvar, as a senior electoral authority in the state, made national headlines in 2020, both as an official defendant in pre-election lawsuits related to electoral rules and as a source of updates during Pennsylvania’s vote counting process. Wolf made it clear that Boockvar’s pending departure is not related to the election, but is connected to the amendment-related failure.
“This change in the State Department has nothing to do with the administration of the 2020 election, which was fair and accurate,” Wolf said in a statement. “The delay caused by this human error will be heartbreaking for thousands of child sexual assault survivors, advocates and lawmakers, and I join the State Department to apologize to you. I share your anger and frustration that this has happened, and I support you in your fight for justice. “
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Wolf said he would work to help the General Assembly pass a bill that would help victims in a similar way to what the amendment aimed to achieve.
The governor, who claimed not to be aware of the error until recently, acknowledged Boockvar for taking responsibility for the error.
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“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished for the people of Pennsylvania,” said Secretary Boockvar. “I have always believed that responsibility and leadership must be the pillars of public service. Although I only became aware of the error last week and immediately took steps to alert management to the error, I accept responsibility on behalf of the department. “