Northampton County's new Voting Registrar, Amy Cozze, has confirmed that the Elections Commission will meet again this Thursday, 4:30 pm, to discuss a $240,000 proposal for electronic poll books manufactured by Tenex Software Solutions. In addition, they will consider voter outreach suggestions.
At their inaugural meeting last week, all five members agreed to wait a week before making a decision so they could do their own research. I did some research myself, and told you yesterday that Dallas had to scrap Tenex because it was susceptible to hacking and unable to interface with their voting system, which happens to be the ExpressVote XL.
I see no reason why an electronic pollbook should be able to interface with an actual voting system. One has nothing to do with the other.
Cozze told me yesterday the problem arose in Dallas because voters in that county can vote at any voting precinct they choose. Thus, the electronic poll books were connected to the Internet so that if voter A voted at Precinct #1 and then decided to vote again at Precinct #2, the poll book at Precinct #2 would know that voter A had already cast a ballot when he attempted to check in.
In Pennsylvania, that scenario is impossible. You can only vote by mail or at your assigned precinct. Thus, there is no need for an Internet connection. The pollbooks within each precinct will be able to sync via bluetooth, but there will be no Internet or WiFi.
Cozze also told me the County was working to establish a direct link to the election's office from the county's home web page. I just checked, and it's already there as a "Quick Access Link."
In the meantime, paper ballot purists suing in Commonwealth Court have strangely withdrawn a request for a preliminary injunction against the ExpressVote XL. In a companion lawsuit in federal court, a hearing is scheduled before Judge Paul Diamond on February 18. Judge Diamond has made clear he is uninterested in the experiences of individual voters and has concluded the State has already made a showing that it has been prejudiced by the nearly year delay after certification of the XL before seeking a ban on its continued use.
17 comments:
You can watch the meetings using Internet Explorer only. Does suck.
If they run their election as well as the county website and meeting portal, this should be hilarious. It's like watching a Three Stooges/Marx Brothers crossover film. You know what's coming, and it's still funny when it happens. What a mess.
Will we ever get a clear and complete explanation of how votes accepted temporarily as ‘Provisional’ are ultimately determined to be either COUNTED or NOT COUNTED?
What is the process?
Who makes the final decision, and under what standards?
How many individuals debate the validity of each Provisional Vote, and what are their names?
I’d like to think validity of each mail-in vote is determined by more than just a single person at a desk who opens the envelope as it arrives. Fairness demands specific checks and balances all along the way.
5:31 & 5:48, It has always been that way and does suck. The IT department was supposed to have switched over about a half year ago, but clearly are unable to keep up with numerous of the local municipalities for which this is no issue. Latest I hear is February. I would have dumped this outfit months ago.
7:06, Have you ever done any research? Geez. If you did 15 seconds of research on the net, you'd see this: https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Voting-by-Provisional-Ballot.aspx
I am sure I have explained it as well, and several times.
If someone casts a provisional ballot, it is opened during the canvas and a determination is made whether it is valid. If the person is not a registered voter, the inquiry stops there and the vote is not counted. If the person is a registered voter but voted in the wrong district, the vote will be at least partially counted for the offices in which the voter is eligible to vote. But someone from Bethlehem who votes in a hanover precinct is unable to vote for offices peculiar to that precinct. If he does so, those votes will not be counted.
A voter casting a provisional ballot is handed a receipt with which he or she can check within seven days to see if the vote counted. If note, he has the right too appeal to a judge and this right is noted on the receipt handed to the voter.
"I’d like to think validity of each mail-in vote is determined by more than just a single person at a desk who opens the envelope as it arrives. Fairness demands specific checks and balances all along the way."
If you don't know something it is better to ask than to spread misinformation as you have just done. NO mail-in ballot will be opened until the canvas begins. Until then, it will be secured in a locked box.
No need to be overly defensive, Bernie. The link you provided simply states the Local Election Office will handle determine validity. Well, gee wiz! According to the description given, the decision could well be at the discretion of one individual’s judgment, at the time the ballot is first opened, whenever/wherever that might be.
With politics what it is these days, cheating is more likely than ever, I think. Questions, even those expressing great skepticism, are more than justified.
When you complain without doing research, and then top it off with misinformation, I'll correct you.
Bernie Thanks for keeping us up to date on this fiasco.I was at a polling place and then watched the numbers come in.All wrong I do not need to go into the specifics but I would have canned this outfit the day after the elections keep hammering away Thanks SW
"Who makes the final decision, and under what standards?"
That would be Cozze which means it would be Dertinger, since she is a pawn of the McClure administration. Sadly, the elections office is now being controlled by a partisan democrat hack. Is there impeachment at a local level??
Remember Tammany Hall!
When an individual opens a sealed provisional ballot, it shouldn’t take more than a quick glance to determine if that ballot tends to favor Republicans, Democrats, or some other group.
Cozze by all accounts seems like a good person. But she's unabashedly a partisan political operative. That's never a good look for this position. Even if just an optics thing.
That is a fair criticism. She has been a political operative, but those days are over. If I see evidence that she is doing anything political, I will call her out.
@Bernie - Hopefully.
Now over in Lehigh County. Ed Hozza (who I genuinely like and have admired for his work as a Mayor) very much actively plays the role of political operative as chairperson of County Democrat Committee and Director of Administration and disappointingly 100% mixes the two roles. Goes well beyond optics.
You weren't at the meeting; I would have loved to see your take.
Besides the commission rejecting the epollbooks, the administration was confronted with the minutes from the commission that appointed Dee Rumsey . . . the commission back then clearly interviewed and appointed the chief registrar and this administration clearly changed the procedure while telling us that they hadn't. And of course the county didn't record this meeting . . .
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