From Keystone Votes (http://www.keystonevotes.org/):
We are just weeks away now from the beginning of a new legislative session for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. And with the New Year and new session comes a renewed focus on advocacy for modernizing elections.
With four in five Pennsylvania voters currently relying on machines that lack an auditable paper trail, our commonwealth is viewed as among the most vulnerable states in the nation since federal authorities say Russian hackers targeted at least 21 states during the 2016 presidential election. Awareness of these vulnerabilities has led to a nationwide push for modernization by the 2020 election.
Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf reaffirmed his commitment to investing in new voting systems by announcing that he will request funding in the 2019-20 fiscal year budget to help defray purchasing costs for counties. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania identified the total cost for replacement at around $125 million — although some estimates have it at $110 million. A Department of State spokeswoman said the commonwealth might be able to cover around $75 million. Counties have already received a little more than $14 million in federal money earmarked for the purpose. We’re making progress.
The funding announcement comes as the Department of State is in the midst of hosting voting systems expos to demonstrate new systems to local officials, media and the general public. This goes hand in hand with the department’s efforts to address counties’ concerns about the lack of available options for new systems. A second system was certified last week, and the state expects to certify as many as six machines by spring.
Your voices are being heard. We go here because of your advocacy and support. These recent announcements are encouraging. But there is more work to do in the effort to secure full funding for modern, secure, safe and accessible voting systems.
Ensuring public confidence in our elections is a shared priority. Regardless of political affiliation, investing in new election systems must be a priority for our state legislators in 2019. It should be at the top of the agenda when they reconvene Jan. 1.
Leave a Reply