Montco Getting New Paper-Based Voting System

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA – Montgomery County voters will have a new ballot-casting system next time they visit the polls as the county approved a contract to use a voter-marked paper balloting system.

The Montgomery County Commissioners approved a $5.8 million contract with Dominion Voting Systems of Denver, Colorado at their meeting Thursday to provide the new system.

That paper trail in the new system can be audited to ensure votes are being counted accurately.

With the new system, the old electronic push-button voting machines the county purchased in 1996, which were nearing the end of their useful life, will be phased out.

The County plans to have the new system in place for the May 2019 primary election.

"Voters will still be able to privately cast their ballot, just like the current system, and the simple paper ballot will give them the highest confidence that their votes will be accurately recorded and counted," said Dr. Val Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. "I’m so pleased that we approved this new voting system today which incorporates the suggestions we heard from voters."

In most cases, voters will use a pen to fill out a ballot and have an opportunity to check it for accuracy before submitting it to scanner that tabulate the votes and keep the ballot in a secure container for audits or recounts, according to officials.

Each polling place will also have an ADA touchscreen machine that can be used to select candidates. When the voter is done filling out the ballot, the touchscreen machine will print out a paper ballot that the voter can verify before submitting it for tabulation.

Between now and the May 2019 primary election, Montgomery County Voter Services will conduct and extensive public outreach campaign and poll worker trainings to make sure the election goes as smoothly as possible.

There will be at least one large open house in early spring, well before the primary election, where members of the public will be able to try out the new voter-marked paper ballot system and become familiar with how it will work. There will also be other opportunities for the public to become familiar with the system scheduled at various times and locations throughout the county.

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