2021 Election Results Certified In Chester County

WEST CHESTER, PA — The results of the 2021 election were certified in Chester County on Monday, with county commissioners voting 2-1 along party lines to ratify the results. The decision came amid calls from Republicans and public commenters to conduct a forensic audit of the election, with numerous irregularities cited.

Chester County Voter Services staff discovered two days after the election that more votes were received than counted, officials said. Voter services determined a software problem caused the discrepancy and worked with its voting system vendor, ES&S, to resolve the issue. The weekend following the election, voter services staff re- scanned all mail-in and absentee ballot envelopes to ensure proper voter credit was applied.

Democratic Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell were satisfied that these efforts ensured that all votes were properly counted. Republican Michelle Kichline voted no.

"I have not seen evidence of fraud," she said. "But, what I have seen, is a process that isn’t working and a chain of custody issues that is disturbing. I fully support a review of the process."

Republicans leadership had advocated for a full forensic audit to determine what had gone wrong and to double check the work of the county.

"Our goal is not to change the outcome of the election, but to guarantee that every legitimate vote cast in Chester County, regardless of party affiliation, will not be lost, stolen, diluted, or rejected through either intentional maleficence or administrative mistakes," Gordon Eck, the head of the Republican Party of Chester County, previously wrote.

Some two dozen members of the public gave a comment during an hourlong portion of Monday's meeting, with nearly all of them advocating for a recount or an audit.

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