New Voting Machines Coming To PA, See Them At Bucks Co. Expo

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Want to get an up-close look at the new voting systems that could be used in an upcoming election?

The Pennsylvania Department of State will conduct an expo of new voting systems this week at the Bucks County Administration Building, 55 E. Court Street in Doylestown. The expo will be held Thursday, Dec. 13 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the third-floor rotunda.

During the event, five vendors will demonstrate their machines and answer questions from government officials and members of the public.

The event is part of a series of expos being held around Pennsylvania by the Department of State as the state moves to replace existing voting machines with new systems that can be verified through paper records.

In April, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres informed counties that they must select new voting systems that provide a paper record by the end of 2019. The directive strongly recommended that counties have new systems in place by the November 2019 general election, and no later than the 2020 primary.

RELATED: All PA Voting Machines Must Have Paper Trail By 2020 Election

The expo in Doylestown “is an opportunity for people in southeast Pennsylvania, including county commissioners and election officials, to try the new voting technology with paper records that can be checked and verified by the voter, and to ask questions of the vendors,” said Jonathan Marks, commissioner of the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation. “We want to ensure the public understands the benefits and improvements these systems offer.”

Bucks County last replaced its voting machines in 2006, according to information from the county.

The cost to replace voting machines statewide is $125 million. Gov. Wolf has said he will ask the General Assembly to fund at least half of the cost. Any state contribution would be in addition to the $13.5 million already provided by Congress in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018. The federal funding requires a 5 percent state match.

Vendors participating in the expo are Unisyn Voting Solutions, Dominion Voting Systems, Election Systems & Software (ES&S), Hart InterCivic and Clear Ballot Group.

Two of the systems to be displayed at the expo already have received both federal and state certification. One other system has successfully completed testing and is in the process of certification reports and paperwork. The Department of State expects another one or two systems to complete the certification process by the end of the year, the county said.

If you are attending the Doylestown expo, enter the building through the Court Street entrance.

Image via Shutterstock