This page discusses the new Pennsylvania auditing system developed in 2018, studied and formed working groups in 2019, and piloted in the 2020 Primary elections. In short, the risk-limiting auditing (RLA) system created an additional paper ballot printout so that election results can be verified with a paper ballot that cannot be tampered with, a concern of the 2016 Presidential election. Post-election audits play a critical role in securing their election system. Additional information on Pennsylvania's election security practices can be found in this guide as well.
What is a "risk-limiting" post-election audit?
A risk-limiting audit (RLA) is a system where in addition to a voter electronically casting their vote, a paper ballot prints out in plain language so they can verify their ballot and then submit that to election poll workers. This method allows election results to be verified by paper ballot accounting, in which paper ballots cannot be "hacked" or electronically tampered with. It also provides an additional record of votes that can be used to verify the electronic counts.
The Department of State wanted to incorporate post-election audits on the recommendations by the U.S Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Senate Select Intelligence Committee, and many other experts, and are one part of a strong and resilient election infrastructure. Risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to confirm whether reported election outcomes are correct and to detect possible interference.
These audits, such as risk-limiting audits, are scientifically designed and highly effective procedures conducted after an election to strengthen election security and integrity, confirm the accuracy of election outcomes, and provide confidence to voters that their votes are being counted accurately (PAVotes Post-Election Audits.)
In 2019, Pennsylvania formed working groups where they would conduct test audits and then a pilot study to ensure the auditing systems developed worked and were accurate. Their 2-Year Study and Initial Report can be found on the Post-Election Auditing website. Members of the working group included:
Allegheny County Election Director David Voye
Butler County Election Director Aaron Sheasley
Cumberland County Elections Manager Megan Orris
Lebanon County Election Director Michael Anderson
Philadelphia Deputy City Commissioner Nick Custodio
Sullivan County Election Director Hope Verelst
Brennan Center Democracy Program Counsel Liz Howard
Committee of Seventy Policy Director Patrick Christmas
Verified Voting Senior Science and Technology Policy Officer Mark Lindeman
Kathy Boockvar - Secretary of the Commonwealth
Jonathan Marks - Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions
Sindhu Ramachandran - Voting System Analyst
Zane Swanger, Deputy Director, Bureau of Election Security and Technology
Department of State advisors:
Veronica Degraffenreid, Special Advisor for Elections Modernization
Jessica Mathis - Director, Bureau of Election Services and Notaries
Mike Moser - Director, Bureau of Election Security and Technology
Jessica Myers - Director, Office of Policy
In 2019 the piloting of the new auditing system began in Mercer and Philidelphia counties. U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the University of Michigan, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the Democracy Fund, VotingWorks, and Verified Voting participated in developing and implementing the pilot audit process using the new paper-based voting systems.
At the state and county levels, many important recommendations by national security and cybersecurity experts are already in place in Pennsylvania, including mandatory pre-election testing of all voting equipment before every election.
The pilot audits will help determine whether the risk-limiting audit can complement existing safeguards and further strengthen the commonwealth's ability to withstand attacks on its election systems. The pilot audits will incorporate a number of variations of the basic procedure to evaluate operational efficiency and ease of use (PAVotes Post-Election Audits.)
Pennsylvania's first enhanced statewide post-election audit pilot overwhelmingly confirmed the outcome of both the Democratic and Republican presidential primary races held in June 2020.
Counties conducted an audit using a statistical sample of ballots cast on June 2, 2020, presidential primary that were randomly selected from across the state. Based on the results of this random sampling, the chance that the audit produced a false-positive result is less than 0.1 percent.
On November 18, 2019, Mercer County audited the vote on a referendum to amend the state constitution with what is known as Marsy's Law, which would provide crime victims with certain rights.
We were extremely pleased and honored to have played a role in this ground-breaking effort by the commonwealth," Mercer County Director of Elections Jeff Greenburg said. "But we couldn't have done it without all of the wonderful people and experts who made their way from different parts of Pennsylvania, the United States, and even the world to assist. If our voters could just see the passion and dedication driving these individuals, they would have no doubt we are heading in the right direction when it comes to securing elections in this country.
On Thursday, November 21, 2019, the Philadelphia audit included a review of the vote on the Marsy's Law constitutional amendment, as well as the vote in the Philadelphia mayoral race (PA Media Release Nov 22, 2019.)