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| Amy Cozze answers Council concerns |
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| "I think we could learn a lesson from Iowa." Maude Hornick |
The electronic pollbooks chosen by the County are actually modified iPads, each of which contains a complete list of the registered voters for the entire county. They are the same pollbooks that have been used in Lehigh County for several years. They will be used without WiFi, although pollbooks within a precinct will be able to synchronize with each other through an encrypted blue tooth.
Electronic pollbooks make it easier for voters to check in. Paper pollbooks are far more cumbersome. They are only able to determine if someone is registered within a specific precinct. Poll workers often have to call the elections office to find the correct polling place for citizens who are unsure where to cast their ballot. In contrast to a paper poll book, an epollbook can immediately tell a voter where he should be voting.
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| Kerry Myers: "new kid on the block" |
When presented with a request to recommend epollbooks on January 23, the Elections Commission took a week to think about it. Then they said No during a meeting in which Chair Maude Hornick insisted, incorrectly, that paper poll books could still be used. In the meantime, the clock was ticking away. Executive Lamont McClure took the Elections Comm'n to task in an op-ed, called on them to meet again, and then asked County Council to approve the pollbooks anyway.
That's what happened last night, starting with Council's Finance Committee and then the full Council. The Elections Commission did meet again, but was presented with a fait accompli.
At the Council meeting, Maude Hornick likened epollbooks to "pouring gasoline on a fire." She still insisted the County could use paper pollbooks even though Voter Registrar Amy Cozze pointed out that option was impossible without violating state guidelines.
"I think we could learn a lesson from Iowa," snarked Hornick, referring to an improperly programmed app that Democrats failed to test. Donald Trump's campaign, as well as some of those in the Bernie Sanders' camp, have claimed the caucus was rigged, despite a dearth of evidence. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale called what happened there “the sloppiest train wreck in history. It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process.”
It would later be revealed that Trump supporters were jamming the hot line used to call in results.
Like the Trump supporters in Iowa, Hornick and several members of the GOP county party blasted epollbooks and Northampton County's XL. These Republicans even accused the County of attempting to suppress the vote.
That was enough for Council member Kerry Meyers, who refers to himself as "the new kid on the block."
"I'm sitting here listening to people complain about machines when people of my generation were beaten, whipped, jailed, hung for the right to vote. And I'm sitting here listening as the only other black face in here and I'm listening to people talk about stuff that's important, but is it relevant because you know what? We gotta' vote. We cannot not vote. And I'm reading in the newspaper if we don't do this we can't have anb election. That's bullshit. We have to have an election. ...Not long after Myers spoke, County Council voted for the epollbooks. The Elections Commission then met and Hornick continued to complain about her preference for paper poll books and criticized the Voter Registrar for not having found a printer. Amy Cozze said only one printer in the state can produce paper pollbooks in accordance with state guidelines, and never returned her calls. But now that the county has ordered epollbooks, there's no need.
"We're making something that is very small a damn mountain. Why are we putting ourselves through this. ...
"While we're sitting here talking about voter suppression, you don't know a damn thing about what voter suppression is. Three years ago I went to vote. This is Pennsylvania. Do you believe someone asked me to show him my damn ID? How many of you people had to go through that? I did. It's ridiculous what we're talking about right now."
What People Said:
Sandra Pizzolato, Allen Tp Judge of Elections: - "If the paper pollbooks are used, the inspectors will not only have to check in them, but they will have many additional sheets to check for the voter's name, significantly increasing the sign-in time. ... The epollbooks will show if someone voted by mail and will inform the worker that the person cannot vote on the machine. If the epollbooks are not used, the mail ballots cannot be counted until all the pages from all the paper pollbooks have been scanned to see if someone showed up at the polling place to vote besides sending in a ballot. There will not be a final count for the election for a long time."
Gayle Sanders - "Given the fiasco in the Fall with the new voting machines and the disaster of the Iowa caucuses, it's obvious to me that introducing yet more electronics at the polls is not the way to go.
Ethan Habriel: "Considering the fiasco we already had, somebody should have been fired. ... To go to an epollbook at this time is seriously out of the question."
Maude Hornick, Elections Comm'n Chair: "I believe making an election right is much more important than the speed in which there are results. ... I don't want to give our voters another piece of electronic equipment after the last disaster."
Lewis Shupe: "If I had unfettered access to one of these ExpressVote DLs [sic], I could play tetris on it in about an hour."
Karen Frey, NorCo GOP Committee: "Act 77 just added more chaos to the voters for this presidential election. With the fraud, and I don't use this term lightly, I find this is suspect. ... The voters will perceive this as a voter suppression effort."
Gerry Pritchard, brother of Maude Hornick and GOP Chair Gloria Lee Snover: - "What will the answer be if it don't work?"
Dr. Alan Brau, NorCo Elections Comm'n: - "We took a scientific approach, we communicated with each other, ... and there's really no bias, no motive, no anything, except to serve the voters of this County."
Executive Lamont McClure: -"Ms. Hornick's speech was full of opinion, but you're really not entitled to your own facts. ... [Ms. Hornick] happens to be the sister of the Republican Chair, which if it doesn't call out for a change to the Charter to eliminate party bosses from the selection process to the Elections Comm'n, I don't know what does."
Amy Cozze, Voting Registrar: - "This was not a toy we wanted for the office. Act 77 came down with five major changes that we've not seen before. ... We're the final line of defense. ... I'm asking for the tools for our office to carry out [the election]."
Ron Heckman, Council President: "This is about voting, which is a core county function. That is what we must do. ... "
John Cusick, Council: "The reason we're here is simple, because Donald Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, and fingers had to be pointed someplace."
Bill McGee, Council: "We need to give them the tools that they need and let them do their job."
Updated 11:42 am
This seems strange. Can the Election Commission take County Council to court? Why did the meeting have to be that long? Does this decision help or hurt one or both of the political parties?
ReplyDeleteYour reporting of the proceedings was comprehensive and appreciated. But, also disappointing. Here’s the tenor of your piece.
ReplyDeleteThe Iowa Caucus problems are the result of a Republican Party operation.
There was only one printer in America that could that could produce paper books on time.
Without moving to these epollboks NOW, racial discrimination in America will continue.
The new system is vastly more expensive, but we were forced to select this particular vendor.
Not very satisfying.
Was Fed Ex contacted? In 2012 Fed Ex offered special services to cast votes. Had an overseas vote foundation team to even offer discounted absentee ballot delivery and printing for the Presidential election. They are in our back yard and I bet no one contacted them.
ReplyDeleteNorthampton County Council, County Executive, and Administration is a disgrace. We are getting everything LAMONT WANTS down our throats. I can't wait until I can vote them ALL out including COZZE.
ReplyDeleteWhen all the electronics for the election fail, I would hope that is our chance to kick them all out where they belong.
WORSE COUNTY EXECUTIVE and ADMINISTRATION EVER!
No election official in Iowa can confirm that calls from Republicans were of any significance to the problems experienced in Iowa. They DO confirm a software problem. Perhaps relying on just one phone line was an issue. Duh !
ReplyDeleteEncrypted? So is my debit card. I love my WaWa coffee!
ReplyDeleteNovember 2018.Morning Call :.Chief Clerk of elections for Lehigh county Benyo indicates poll worker discovered way to cast a second ballot on the electronic poll books tried for the first time Tuesday. The electronic poll books are programmed by Tenex. Northampton County said there were NO problems with these?
ReplyDeleteNorthampton County loves to keep on spending money without researching. There are many vendors who can supply the paper poll books.Why would you buy e-poll computers at a cost of over $300,000 when you don't know if your top of the line voting machines will even work correctly. How will these computers run, do they need wi-fi? can they be hacked? Amy Cozze will have 3 weeks to train her staff and the poll workers. This is not the time to roll out new merchandise when voters will be flocking to the voting districts in mass for the Presidential election. I'm sure Election Day will be a disaster with many delays checking in. if the lines are long maybe we can have Nancy Pelosi rip up the paper ballot for us.
ReplyDelete"This seems strange. Can the Election Commission take County Council to court? Why did the meeting have to be that long? Does this decision help or hurt one or both of the political parties?"
ReplyDeleteSure, but they won't get very far. There were several meetings, and not all related to epollbooks. The decisions does not help or hurt either party, but the uproar and distrust sewed by Maude Hornick and GOP operatives at last night's meetings were designed to undermine public confidence in our system. Trump has been doing this since he first ran. The GOP wants people, especially Dems, to think it does't matter whether they vote bc their vote will not count. The Dem party boss has actually allied himself with these vote suppressors and was calling counties around the state, saying he was doing so on behalf of the elections comm'n. Clearly, the way we select election comm'rs needs to change. It should be as divorced as possible from party politics.
"Northampton County loves to keep on spending money without researching. There are many vendors who can supply the paper poll books."
ReplyDeleteWrong. This was refuted effectively by Cozze last night. There are printers who would love to take the county's money, but they would not produce pollbooks that accord with state guidelines.
"How will these computers run, do they need wi-fi? can they be hacked"
This was covered ion my story, which you apparently did not read. There will be no WiFi. Any system, even a paper system, can be rigged.
".Chief Clerk of elections for Lehigh county Benyo indicates poll worker discovered way to cast a second ballot on the electronic poll books tried for the first time Tuesday.""
That incident was discussed by Cozze at last night's meetings. You do not vote on an epollbook, so no one voted twice on an epollbook. You check in an these iPads. It was limited to one iPad, and Tim Benyo discovered that his office had simply forgotten to erase the previous election on that single machine.
No matter what your political preference you MUST vote, so your candidate has the best chance to counteract attempts to pass through invalid votes. We ALL agree, some votes will be counted that should not have been counted. Exactly how many, and which supporters attempted to CHEAT most is yet to be determined.
ReplyDeletePennsylvania is making casting a vote EASIER and QUICKER. Expect an increase in the total amount of votes cast. Sounds all well and good, but will the ‘rush at the doors’ be too much for the ticket-takers to handle?
Kerry Meyers was insulted because he had to show ID? We all should have to show IDs. How many people will be voting in states that are not legal citizens of the United States? Maybe he is right because the IDs represented by drivers' licenses in a number of states are meaningless. Lets do away with any IDs. I always show my ID when I go to vote and it is laughable how it seems to paralyze the poll workers. Some of them have problems hearing and I think it is helpful for them to find my name. Gee, what a silly bunch of gooses we have all become.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what John Cusick was talking about, and what it has to do with e-pollbooks??
ReplyDeleteI think Kerry was saying is that he didn't need GOP operative Karen Frey to lecture him about voter suppression. He's experienced it.
ReplyDelete"I don't understand what John Cusick was talking about, and what it has to do with e-pollbooks??"
ReplyDeleteI think Cusick is saying that we have made changes because we are unable to accept the fact that Trump won in 2016. What he fails to explain is that the Act 77 changes come from a GOP legislature, and were originally vetoed by Democrat Tom Wolf.
I do not think we needed new voting machines, which can be blamed entirely on Wolf. But it is what it is, and we have no choice.
"Was Fed Ex contacted? In 2012 Fed Ex offered special services to cast votes. Had an overseas vote foundation team to even offer discounted absentee ballot delivery and printing for the Presidential election. They are in our back yard and I bet no one contacted them."
ReplyDeleteThere was no printing offer, and the service you mention was for expats.
https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/overseas-vote-foundation-team-offer-discounted-absentee-ballot-delivery/
Be honest with the people and call it both ways bernie...
ReplyDeleteExecutive Lamont McClure: -"Ms. Hornick's speech was full of opinion, but you're really not entitled to your own facts. ... [Ms. Hornick] happens to be the sister of the Republican Chair, which if it doesn't call out for a change to the Charter to eliminate party bosses from the selection process to the Elections Comm'n, I don't know what does."
This volunteer, non partisan, advisory commission is picked by the County Executive. Each party Chair offers 5 people. The county exec chooses 5 out of 10 people from both parties. Not only did he appoint her once, he did it twice.
Like he said, you may be entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
The statement above from Lamont McClure is unwarranted and ARROGANT. Listen, Lamont, when someone doesn’t share the same view as you do it doesn’t mean that person’s ‘facts’ are any less valuable than your facts. Both of you analyzed what information you could and determined what is factual to you. Nothing more.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT about Republican vs. Democrat, man or woman, rich or poor, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. The concern here is about TRANSPARENCY, HONESTY, AND SECURITY of our election process. Stop trying to divide people.
Again, tone it down and appreciate those who volunteer to make our county a better place.
What complete horseshit!. Maude has already been called on several misrepresentations, and that was prior to last night.
ReplyDelete1) The county's printer can do the paper pollbooks. FALSE.
2) Lehigh County's Deputy Registrar suggested epollbooks be rolled out slowly. FALSE.
3) NorCo can just use Minuteman Press. FALSE.
4) The Register made no effort to find a paper printer. FALSE.
Last night, the Register refuted her, point by point, with something called FACTS. Perhaps you've heard of them.
"This is NOT about Republican vs. Democrat, man or woman, rich or poor, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. "
Again, horseshit. Lee Snover the GOP boss, is using her sister and other family members, to do everything she can to screw up the election precisely so that McClure loses when he seeks re-election. Her unwitting partner is the Dem party boss, who actually was calling other election offices and claimed to be doing so on behalf of the elections comm'n.
Instead of trying to deliver a good election, these operatives want to sabotage it. Snover and Maude want to ensure Dems are so disgusted they don't vote. So they take a minor matter like epollbooks and do everything they can to undermine voter confidence and then throw in the Iowa caucus, which has absolutely NOTHING to do with NorCo.
"This volunteer, non partisan, advisory commission is picked by the County Executive. Each party Chair offers 5 people. The county exec chooses 5 out of 10 people from both parties. Not only did he appoint her once, he did it twice."
ReplyDeleteAnd if he didn't, Snover would bray he is interfering with her right to pick her own members. Please. You are playing games.
"This is crazy. These people are in a state of mass hysteria."
ReplyDeleteNo, the GOP operatives who packed the room last night make clear they want to jeopardize our election just so they can beat McClure in the next Exec race. They are using the Trump playbook.
These e pollbooks can be manipulated as easily as Bernie and McClure can be by a pretty blonde in a tight skirt
ReplyDeleteHaving to show any kind of ID in order to vote would not make me feel offended. It would make me feel that the election process is attempting to be more secure. I would view that as a positive. IMHO. It is all a matter of perspective. We all see the world through our own unique view. The important thing to remember is the integrity of the election process should be sacrosanct. The only constant is change. Bickering and blame will not solve anything. We can only move forward. The Office of Elections exists to administer all facets of the electoral process as required by laws governed by the State of Pennsylvania and by the Federal Government. It is the mission of Northamton County to provide to all qualified voters a means of voting that will preserve the integrity of the Electoral process. We should work together with a common goal of making the April 28th primary happen as flawlessly as possible with what we have.
ReplyDeleteThe Northampton County website has some information that may be useful and a video which guides one through the use of the Express XL machine.
To access go to https://www.northamptoncounty.org/CTYADMN/ELECTNS/Pages/default.aspx
"This volunteer, non partisan, advisory commission is picked by the County Executive. Each party Chair offers 5 people. The county exec chooses 5 out of 10 people from both parties. Not only did he appoint her once, he did it twice."
ReplyDelete"And if he didn't, Snover would bray he is interfering with her right to pick her own members. Please. You are playing games."
Come on, Bernie. You are accusing someone of "playing games" when they are just stating facts. Each party chair gives the county exec 5 names. He chooses from them. McClure DID NOT have to choose Hornik. There would have been no outcry if he had gone with another Republican. McClure knew who she was and HE put her on the Elections Commission. Not Lee Snover. McClure chose her and then acted like the party chair chose her. This might not be the most important thing that happened last night, but McClure DID misrepresent the reality: he made it seem as if Lee Snover put her sister on the Elections Commission. That is fundamentally untrue because Lamont McClure put Snover's sister on the Elections Commission himself. Period.
Jeff Fox, If some officious election worker wanted to see your ID, the Jeff Fox I've seen at meetings would erupt. This is not about whether voter ID is a good thing, but racial discrimination and real voter suppression,
ReplyDelete4:40, McClure put her on bc that was a name submitted. Like I said, facts are stubborn things. But I have to thank Lee and Maude. Since 199, I have advocated for a major overhaul of the HRC. I think Dems finally see why.
ReplyDeleteyes bob Ryan we know Sam Murray is not Irish. Did you know Murray the cop on the tv show the odd couple was not Irish either, but we know one thing you are an alcoholic a very sick one at that.
ReplyDeleteThe more you overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to clog it up. - Montgomery Scott
ReplyDeleteHope these new "E" books allow for those who are citizens to scan an ID card or license. Since we are talking about having no voter fraud, this would be nice piece to add to the system. Or are we still trying to allow illegals and the dead to vote ?
ReplyDeleteThat option is there, but workers may not ask for ID except in the case of first time voters or first time at precinct. That is state law.
ReplyDelete"These e pollbooks can be manipulated as easily as Bernie and McClure can be by a pretty blonde in a tight skirt"
ReplyDeleteThat is not fair. If anything the word at the courthouse is she is Dertingers honey pot.
Still trying to understand how choosing one accounting method (paper books) against another (iPads) has anything to do with racial discrimination. I would think neither method would indicate ethnicity, or does one and not the other?
ReplyDelete"Still trying to understand how choosing one accounting method (paper books) against another (iPads) has anything to do with racial discrimination. I would think neither method would indicate ethnicity, or does one and not the other?"
ReplyDeleteYou rare being purposely obtuse, almost certainly bc you hate the notion that bigotry could still be alive and well. Karen Frey is responsible for this. It is she who complained about epollbooks and actually claimed it was voter suppression. That annoyed Kerry Myers, who has personally experiences real voter suppression and responded she does not know what she's talking about, and I agree.
A for you, the question you should be asking is how choosing one accounting method (paper books) against another (iPads) has anything to do with voter suppression. It doesn't, but you'd rather feign confusion so you could avoid the reality that racism is alive and well.
BO, the attitude with which the request is made is an important part of the equation. An "officious election worker" describes a certain attitude with which the request would be made. That kind of attitude, especially from a poll worker, should not be the norm. It may press a few of my buttons, or I may laugh, depending on the day. The point is I do not see having to show ID as racist or as voter suppression. Nor do I see epoll books or cleaning up the voter rolls as such. I do not have the same experiences as Kerry Myers. Each of us sees the world through our own unique lens.
ReplyDeleteExactly. You're white. He's not. If you or I were black, I think we'd think exactly what Kerry thinks. It is an attempt to suppress the vote. If EVERYONE must produce ID, that's different. But you know that is not the law.
ReplyDeleteTransitioning from paper record keeping to digital record keeping has been common for years. Like our physicians transitioning from metal file cabinets to digital storage on a computer device. It is wrong to link opponents of the new epollbooks to a hidden desire for racial discrimination and bigotry. Not even to voter suppression. On this we can agree, and I have no problem with digitalizing records. Bring on the epollbooks! If only they were not so expensive.
ReplyDeleteThe reluctance shown here by opponents of epollbooks, I think, is in fear of making the system open to new vulnerabilities to data entry errors, and fraud. Your assessment of racism in America, Bernie, of no relevance here.
It is not my assessment, but that of someone who has been subjected to it. Must make you uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI'm black and want everyone's ID checked. Just because one is black doesn't mean I want crooked elections. And no, we don't all look alike or think alike.
ReplyDeleteJust watched the video and amazed by 3 events concerning eBooks. 1.] The arrogance of our county executive. 2.] Ms. Snover can't do her own dirty work. 3.] Is Tara Z. the best the D's can offer in the 138th. What's with the snorts?
ReplyDelete5:38, If you were singled out bc you are black and forced to show ID while the white people around you are not, you'd be upset. This is regardless how you feel about voter ID.
ReplyDelete"Just watched the video and amazed by 3 events concerning eBooks. 1.] The arrogance of our county executive. 2.] Ms. Snover can't do her own dirty work. 3.] Is Tara Z. the best the D's can offer in the 138th. What's with the snorts?"
ReplyDelete1) I don't think McClure spoke longer than a minute. Think that one's a reach.
2) Her fingerprints were all over these attacks and continued attempts to undermine voter confidence.
3) Tara Z is a terrible candidate. I have noticed those snorts many times, but what makes her bad is her inability to be honest.
" If you or I were black, I think we'd think exactly what Kerry thinks. It is an attempt to suppress the vote."
ReplyDelete"If", "I think", "It is an attempt to suppress the vote."
Opinion.
We are not black and we do not think like Kerry thinks. We can only think what we think. Kerry can only think what he thinks. He may speak for a certain segment of the population, but not all of it. I do not believe that anyone, no matter the color of their skin, thinks the same or has the same experiences. For example, Condoleeza Rice may think differently than Kerry Myers. Leontyne Price may think differently than Tarana Burke. Al Sharpton may think differently than Malcolm X. They all have varying experiences that shape their thoughts and what they believe.
I am not sure of what the "if" is you refer to that is an attempt to suppress the vote. Voter ID currently is only required for new precinct registrations. It is never required based on the skin color of the voter, nor should it be. If ID is required, it is noted in the poll book. Asking for voter ID should not be looked at as a way to suppress the vote. If asking for ID is used in such a manner, it is wrong. Cleaning up of the voter rolls also should not be looked at as racist or a way to suppress the vote and should not be used as such.
Information on what is required when voting can be found at the following address:
https://www.dos.pa.gov/VotingElections/OtherServicesEvents/Documents/Voter%20ID%20Guidance%20FINAL.pdf
" If you were singled out bc you are black and forced to show ID while the white people around you are not, you'd be upset."
Yes, I'd be upset and have every right to be.
LVRamblings, "NorCo Council Approves E-Pollbooks After Paper Printer Calls It Quits", 2/9/20
I am not sure of what the "if" is you refer to that is an attempt to suppress the vote.
ReplyDelete"if" should be "it"
My bad.