Decoding the 2020 Election

This page provides information related to Pennsylvania's voting machines, the security of voting machines, why the system got a complete overhaul, the software, and relevant information related to the machines and software. This page attempts to provide primary resources in the majority of the sources used. 

2016 Lawsuit

• In November of 2018, Tim Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania, settled a lawsuit by Jill Stein regarding Pennsylvania's inability to provide a true recount audit from the 2016 General election. 
• The Governor committed to upgrading the state's voting system and security. 

• In the  2015-2016 Regular Session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Senate Resolution 394 provided funding to establish a Joint State Government Commission charged to study the state of the security of the state's voting machines and system. 
• The study began in 2017 and the scope was set to:
  • look at election technology administration across the country,
  • survey counties in the state to identify current and future technology needs, 
  • perform a cost study to upgrade technology

Recommendations From the Study

The Committee made these recommendations. The full text can be found in the full report. 

1. The June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code be amended to provide better training and incentives for poll worker volunteers
2. "The Pennsylvania Election Code be amended at Article X (relating to ballots), Article XI (relating to voting machines), and Article XI-A (relating to electronic voting systems) to eliminate obsolete or redundant provisions and to ensure the Pennsylvania Election Code is technology-neutral in order to avoid future obsolescence."
3. The General Assembly provides funding for counties to upgrade voting machine technology that complies purchase or lease of new equipment that complies with the requirements for a voter-verifiable paper record and adequate security measures
4. The General Assembly forms a commission The commission would cooperate with other agencies of the Commonwealth on election-related issues who would advise the General Assembly regarding proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Election Code, as well as other election-related matters. The creation of this commission should be accompanied by an appropriation to support its operation in order to achieve its purpose.
5. Finally, the Advisory Committee recommends that Article 5 of The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania be amended which is related to judges running for election and creating a separate ballot or column on the ballot, which is not needed with voting machines. They make this recommendation because it creates ambiguity, redundancy, and inefficiency when these elections need to be addressed in courts. 

The committee provides assessments and suggestions of the voting machines and election security options through case studies and the current election operations based on information and practices from the other states. They provide several detailed, but easy to read, tables, and maps of the practices (as of November 2017) to the systems, costs and cost liability, and types of ballot casting each state uses. Tables to note are:

• Table 1 Election Administration Innovations - Pgs 13-15 of the report. Abbreviations for markings are on image 3. 

• Table 2 Electronic Transmission of Voted Ballots - Pgs 18-19 of the report. 

• Table 9 Polling Equipment in Pennsylvania - Pg 46 of the report. 

Reasons For New Voting Machines

• In April 2018, the Department of State directed all PA counties to select new voting systems with voter-verifiable paper records by Dec. 31, 2019, and implement them no later than the 2020 primary election. These systems will ensure that Pennsylvanians are voting on the most secure, accessible, and auditable equipment available.

• The Department of State informed Pennsylvania counties that they must have new voting systems in place by the end of 2019. 
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security urges Pennsylvania and other states to update voting machine systems so they are secure and can be audited, meaning, leave a paper trail. The Department list three ways this could be done:
  •  Using paper ballots,
  • Machines that print out an individual's vote so it can be verified that the machine correctly tabulated their choice, 
  • Using machines that send a duplication transmission when someone votes. 

• The DHS chief indicated that she will not direct states on what method to use, but said states should maintain a system of verifiable ballots in order to ensure trust in the election system.*

*Information taken from DHS chief calls on officials in all 50 states to have 'verifiable' ballots by 2020 election, the article that was cited on the Pennsylvania Official Election website New Voting Systems - Why does Pennsylvania need new voting systems?