Bucks Writs - Summer 2018 - 25

systems; they are more worried about electronic voting
machines getting hacked than they are worried about
tampering with paper ballots.6
In Pennsylvania, our voting system and network security
are very strong, and thankfully, there is no evidence that
our voter rolls, voting machines, or vote results have ever
been penetrated or compromised. The Commonwealth
and county boards of elections are vigilant in monitoring
and assessing any potential vulnerabilities, and regularly
take comprehensive additional measures to make our
elections more secure.

Despite being considered one of the top four
swing states in the country, Pennsylvania
is usually in the middle of the states when
it comes to voter turnout. Of the generallyrecognized 10 - 15 battleground states in
2016, Pennsylvania was near the bottom in
turning out its voting-eligible population.
The most well-established methods of
increasing voter turnout - across party
lines and among all demographics - are
made by improving the ease of voter
registration and voting options, while not
sacrificing any security or integrity.

The PA Department of State (DOS) works closely with
all 67 counties, as well as experts from state and federal
Homeland Security agencies, Center for Internet Security,
National Guard, PA Emergency Management Agency, state
and county IT professionals, and other experts to fortify the
security of our election process.7
No voting systems in Pennsylvania, including vote-tallying
components, are connected to the internet, nor are official
election results transmitted through a network. A layered
set of protections is in place to secure our voter registration
database. The Commonwealth's networks are continuously
monitored and vulnerability assessments performed, with
vigilant review of any alerts and actions taken as needed.8

Hopefully, increased knowledge about the security
and verifiability of our elections will bolster Americans'
confidence that their vote counts - literally and figuratively.

In addition, by the end of 2019 all PA counties will select
new voting systems with voter-verified paper ballots,9 to
ensure that we are voting on the most secure, auditable,
and accessible equipment available. All PA voters will
thereafter vote on a paper ballot, either by hand-marking a
ballot or by using a ballot-marking voting machine. Under
either method, voters will be able to review and confirm
their voting selections.10 The ballots will be scanned and
retained by the voting systems for audits and recounts; no
voter will walk out with a printout of their votes. Paper
ballots will also enable robust post-election audits, ensuring
that irregularities will be discernible and election results
more verifiable. PA will also be upgrading our voter registration systems in the next few years, to add even more
security and advanced functionality.

II. Ease of Registration and Voting
Despite being considered one of the top four swing states
in the country, Pennsylvania is usually in the middle of the
states when it comes to voter turnout.11 Of the generally-recognized 10 - 15 battleground states in 2016, Pennsylvania was near the bottom in turning out its voting-eligible population.12
The most well-established methods of increasing voter
turnout - across party lines and among all demographics
- are made by improving the ease of voter registration
and voting options, while not sacrificing any security or
integrity. Examples include same-day registration, automatic

6 Id.
7 Have you ever wondered how state and county election
officials secure elections?, http://www.votespa.com/AboutElections/Pages/Election-Security.aspx
8 Id.
9 Department of State Tells Counties to Have New Voting
Systems in Place by End of 2019, PA Department of State
Press Release, http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.
aspx?newsid=276 (April 12, 2018)

10 Id.; see also Department of State Invites Bids on New Paper
Record Voting Systems, PA Department of State Press
Release, http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.
aspx?newsid=273 (April 2, 2018)
11 America Goes to the Polls, pp. 10, 12, https://www.
nonprofitvote.org/documents/2017/03/america-goespolls-2016.pdf/
12 Id.
25

SUMMER 2018

http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.aspx?newsid=273 http://www.votespa.com/About-Elections/Pages/Election-Security.aspx http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.aspx?newsid=273 http://www.votespa.com/About-Elections/Pages/Election-Security.aspx https://www.nonprofitvote.org/documents/2017/03/america-goes-polls-2016.pdf/ https://www.nonprofitvote.org/documents/2017/03/america-goes-polls-2016.pdf/ https://www.nonprofitvote.org/documents/2017/03/america-goes-polls-2016.pdf/ http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.aspx?newsid=276 http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/State-Details.aspx?newsid=276

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