Acting Secretary of State to Commend Pike County at Demo of New Voting Equipment with a Paper Trail

MILFORD, Pa., April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar will applaud Pike County's commitment to election security tonight during a demonstration of a new voting system that includes a paper trail. The event is open to the public and runs from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the county Administration Building, 506 Broad St., Milford.

Pike County will demonstrate its recently delivered Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5A system. Counties are choosing from among five voting systems certified by the state and federal government. A sixth system recently completed certification testing.

"Pike County will be one of about eight counties to deploy its new voting system for the May 21 municipal primary," Secretary Boockvar said. "They are a year ahead of the 2020 primary deadline for all Pennsylvania counties to implement new voting systems that provide a paper record and meet 21^st-century standards of security, auditability and accessibility."

Tonight's event is one of several demonstrations Pike County is holding for voters and poll workers to learn about and try out the new voting system. The equipment also is on display during regularly scheduled office hours in the elections office in the county administration building. An instructional video is available on the Pike County website.

"Our elections office and the Pennsylvania Department of State are striving to educate the public on the new system to ensure that voters are prepared when they go to the polls this spring," County Commissioner Chairman Matthew Osterberg said.

In April 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of State informed counties they have until the end of 2019 to select new voting systems that provide a paper record. The new systems are to be in use no later than the 2020 primary, and preferably by the November 2019 general election. Systems with paper trails allow for more accurate and reliable post-election audits.

Nationwide, there is bipartisan and near universal agreement that, in the interest of security, Direct Recording Electronic voting machines (DREs), still in use in most Pennsylvania counties, should be replaced, and all voters should be voting on paper ballots they can verify. The Trump Administration's Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Senate and House Intelligence Committees, and many security and elections experts are urging states to switch to new systems that produce paper records.

In Pennsylvania, every voting system and paper ballot must include plain text that voters can read to verify their choices before casting their ballot. Election officials will also use the plain text to perform pre-election testing and post-election audits and recounts.

Governor Wolf is seeking state funding for at least half of the counties' cost for new voting systems. He will continue to work with the General Assembly to implement a plan for state funding and financing.

The governor has already committed $14.15 million in federal and state funding to counties for the new voting systems.

Counties can use a statewide purchasing contract to cut through red tape and negotiate the best deal with voting system vendors. The department also is investigating and pursuing other funding options, including additional federal aid.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Wanda Murren, 717-783-1621

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State