NorCo Exec Lamont McClure and ES&S both apologized at last night's meeting of County Council for the numerous Election Day issues last week. There was a coding error by ES&S in preparing the ballot for use in the municipal race. This error was subsequently missed by both ES&S and county officials during the pre-election testing (known as L&A) before the election. This made the voter verifiable ballot inaccurate in an appellate court retention race. Use of the Express Vote XL voting machine was temporarily halted while election officials scrambled to determine what had happened and why. In the meantime, voters were instructed to vote on emergency provisional ballots. but quickly ran out of them. Some precincts actually turned voters away. Despite the apologies and explanations, McClure was on the hot seat for about two hours as Council members John Goffredo and Lori Vargo Heffner hammered away repeatedly.
The meeting started with complaints from three members of the public, two of whom insisted that someone needs to be fired. NorCo GOP Chair Glenn Geissinger was among them. He observed that this is the second election since the county began using the Express Vote XL in which problems arose. He noted the apparent inconsistency between what voters were told in 2019 and 2023. "In 2019, we were told that what is on the card is what's recorded. Don't worry about it if the electronic device has a little bit of a glitch. Not a problem. We got the card. In 2023 we are being told the electronic machine is what's ok. Please ignore the card. Which is it?" He urged the county to get rid of the XL and purchase a new system.
McClure said that he personally apologizes to "any voter who suffered for any inconvenience or worse on Election Day. He said that election officials contacted the Department of State as soon as they became aware of the issue. Under guidance from the state, the elections office obtained a court order to inform the public of the issue. He noted the error was a "printer only" error and that vote tabulation was accurate. He indicated election results will be audited on November 24 at 10 am." He indicated that pre-election testing will be strengthened. He agreed that it is important to restore public confidence in election integrity.
Goffredo demanded that someone be fired, even if it is a "sacrificial lamb to let people know we take this job seriously ... ." McClure dismissed the notion of terminating people just to make a point.
Goffeedo said he spoke to people who were unable to vote because they had to return to work. He vowed to resign unless McClure fires someone. He insisted that election day turnout among voters who voted at the polls was lower in 2023 than in 2021. As I've reported previously, election day turnout at the precincts was 22.17% in 2021 and 21.4% in 2023. There was little difference, and McClure told Goffredo that part of the reason for this slight decrease is that more Republicans are finally voting by mail instead of in person. But Goffredo ignored him. "I'm talking and you're listening," he declared to the Exec.
McClure rejected Goffredo's call for a new system, saying it would guarantee errors during a Presidential election next year. He said a new system "will necessarily fail" because a new system would have a learning curve with both voters and election workers. "That's a terrible attitude," responded Goffredo.
Eventually, Council President Kerry Myers reeled Goffredo in, and cautioned against the constant "jab, hook, jab, hook."
Council member Lori Vargo Heffner used this mishap to vent about her own differences with McClure. She accused his administration of being "terse" or "flip" [sic[ with her and Council. She advised ES&S against "falling on the sword for anybody" in an apparent jab at the McClure administration. She wondered why this issue was not brought up before last month's Governance Committee. As McClure noted, it's a bit unrealistic for election officials to discuss a problem before they know it exists.
She complained that Council's relationship with the Exec is "devolving," and proved her point because when McClure attempted to respond, she cut him off with "I'm not asking a question; I'm speaking." Then she almost immediately told him she wants answers.
McClure explained that Amy Cozze, when the was voting registrar, stopped the practice of loading up election judges with paper ballots because they were too heavy and costly. He made clear that practice will change.
He added that, so far as he knows, elections office staff never told a single election judge to turn voters away, but it happened. He added that some election judges never turned on the county-supplied phones to communicate with the elections office. He indicated that Human Relations will be interviewing elections office workers to determine more precisely what happened.
Council member John Cusick told ES&S he no longer trusts them or has confidence in their machines., He said that, in the future, he will vote by mail or use early voting to cast his ballot.
Council member John Brown stated that elections office personnel might be career service or union, but the office is ultimately run by Administrator Charles Dertinger, who serves at the pleasure of the Exec.
Council member Tom Giovanni, himself a computer expert, agreed there is nothing wrong with the XL. He attributed what happened to human error in the coding and subsequent testing.
77 comments:
While I don't like to agree with Brown on much if anything, he's right about Dertinger. He has been the controlling force of the elections office since he became administrator. This is another of several big screw ups under his authoritarian watch. He needs to go. Unfortunately, McClure is too insecure to ever let that happen. Charles sits on Lamont's shoulder and tells him when to breathe.
You understandably went soft and easy on your boy McClure and didn't even take Dertinger the, "I am in charge" guy to task. You naturally railed on Gofredo and Hefner. They are doing their jobs. Maybe you could pretend you care if McClure and Dertinger did theirs. The usually smug "I know it all" Dertinger sat there like a mummy and the election chief, casino guy, didn't even bother to show up. Did any of the other council members have anything to say about this?
Little Johnny did a lot of talking tonight. Ran his mouth over and over. He was completely rude and arrogant on several occasions. Tonight he boldly said he would resign if no one else did. Well, no one did Little Johnny. What time should we expect your resignation speech? I would hate to think you just said that for show.
Kudos to Kerry Meyer. The only one who spoke with some sense of smarts tonight and I’m shocked I’m even saying that. It’s sad he didn’t say what he said sooner because that seemed to be the only time of the night small John actually shut his mouth. Doubtful that he listened but it did shut him up for a minute.
"He has been the controlling force of the elections office since he became administrator. This is another of several big screw ups under his authoritarian watch."
I'd wait to see what is learned. Was Charles responsible for the lack of paper ballots? What involvement did he have in L&A testing? I do think he minimized the problem, which was very significant. I also do not think the machines should have been used at all once it was determined that the voter-verifiable ballot was problematic. According to the DOS, that, and not the USB flash drive, is the "official vote of record." When any voter verifiable ballot failed to reflect the voter's intention, the voter should have been instructed to spoil his ballot and vote on paper. This failure, however, is harmless error bc the voter verifiable ballot did accord with the voter's intentions with respect to all other races and Judges Panella and Stabile were overwhelmingly retained without NorCo.
Dertinger has many years of experience dealing with voting systems and all the problems that have occurred. I realize he is detested, and that's as it should be. He is the Exec's hatchet man, and every Exec needs a proper bastard. I am unaware of his big screw ups. Most of what I have seen him do has been done well. He is a lousy presenter and has a hard time explaining things, but he makes the trains run on time.
"You naturally railed on Gofredo and Hefner. They are doing their jobs. Maybe you could pretend you care if McClure and Dertinger did theirs. "
I do not believe Goffredo or Heffner were doing their jobs. They got personal. Unnecessarily so.
Goffredo was ridiculous. The notion that we flush $3 million down the toilet and start looking for a new voting system with a Presidential election just a few months away is patently ridiculous. County Council deliberated very carefully before they approved the XL in a 8-1 vote. It did have the support of GOP chair Lee Snover and her sister, Maude Hornick. It was approved by the elections commission. It withstood legal challenges in US District Court and Commonwealth Court. There would be insufficient time to research and select a new system and then educate both elections workers and voters on its proper use. That is a disaster waiting to happen.
Also, the demand that someone be fired is equally troubling. Instead of seeking a "sacrificial lamb," the term Goffredo himself used, it's a little smarter to find out exactly what went wrong and take steps to make sure it never happens again. McClure is doing that. ES&S is revamping its L&A testing. Paper ballots will be flooding precincts in future elections. Judges will be instructed to ever turn a voter away. If someone who works for the county is at fault, that person will be held responsible. I can say with certainty that the entire staff of the elections office, from Register down, is blameless. They are very dedicated and hard-working people. But I am sure they have ideas that could improve things. McClure is reaching out to them via HR. Goffredo's "I'm speaking and you're listening" was unprofessional and rude.
As for Lori Vargo Heffner, she is allowing her personal animosity for McClure and his administration to poison her perspective. She practically begged ES&S to blame McClure. Also she cut him off for trying to respond to her, and then in the next breath, she said she just wants answers to her questions. She claims to have been kept in the dark. The county could not have told her about this problem bc they did not know it existed. She's been on Council six years. She should know that she can attend any L&A testing she wants to attend. Party bosses are specifically invited.
Goffredo and LVH were out of line. The rest of Council were frank and unhappy, but did not get personal.
I always hear that McClure is a bully. It seems to me that the two bullies I saw last night were Goffredo and LVH.
"The only one who spoke with some sense of smarts tonight and I’m shocked I’m even saying that. It’s sad he didn’t say what he said sooner because that seemed to be the only time of the night small John actually shut his mouth. Doubtful that he listened but it did shut him up for a minute."
I believe that, aside from Goffredo and LVH, Council was frank but professional and fair. I do not dispute John Brown's assessment, the unhappiness of even Tara Zrinski or Cusick's assertion that he will vote by mail. Ron Heckman seemed more interested in the root cause than in taking heads. Of course, Giovanni was absolutely correct when he observed there's nothing wrong with the XL. We are the problem. We screw everything up. We are human.
Paper ballots, walk in only , make ballots so you can’t just pull a party line, machines cost too much per vote now, and to constitute replacement again ? figure costs per vote. Too much. Just pay people to count Evan if it takes two days so what. We had to do it anyway as we just witnessed . I said it before. The need for litmus test for voters exist . College kids should have to file absentee from the venue they are from just like military personnel. Substitute Hillsdale College for Lafayette and tell me if half the people elected in Easton would pass muster? Right, we both wouldn’t like it.
You have been covering for the McClure, Dertinger, Barron thug regime for years. This is different. It was obvious from the video that the county screwed up. There was confusion, mixed messages and just plain sloppy oversight and management. You deflect criticism to Goffredo and Hefner just as your patron McClure deflected criticism and blame to Amy Cozze. The guy is a real sweetheart. Even Cusick was aggravated by the excuses.
The arrogance of this gang comes back to bite them. One thing learned from your passionate defense of their screwing up the most important job they have is if his insider Ken Kraft can't serve, you can take his place as a McClure yes man on council.
I wish Cusick was staying. Maybe council should appoint him to Zirinskis spot.
Agree with ..we screw everything up…
So 2024 will be a digital game of Russian Roulette…
Instead of bullets, humans, will be loading codes into XL voting machines…gambling to see if the
XL machines will electronically shoot us, or not shoot us,
again.
Little John must have been picked on as a child and is using his “platform” as a county council person to try to show he’s a big man. What he showed last night is he is rude, arrogant, and a narcissist. He is entitled to his opinion and the man from the voting machine company and administration knew they were going to face the music for the election screwups but to speak the way he did was unacceptable. It was allowed to go on for too long. And he was full of threats and conspiracies. Well big man deliver on your threat. RESIGN. You ran your mouth now own it and stick to your word. He clearly did not get enough attention as a child and is using this to make up for those childhood mishaps. Maybe he hoped to be YouTube famous with his tirade of demands. Who knows. But last night it was like he was a miniature version of a certain unhinged muscle shirt wearing lunatic with his BS rhetoric. He was an embarrassment to NotCo last night. Not because he didn’t have valid points about the testing and such but because he tried to be a tough guy and instead just looked like a clown. I’m impressed with some of the restraint shown last night to try to make their points while maintaining a professional manner and also Preacher Kerry at the end imparting the final words of wisdom. He at least shut John boy up for 5 minutes.
Proper Bastard would be a great garage band name
Bernie, would you support a federal civil rights investigation? Many citizens had one of their most fundamental civil rights violated. Hell, it was thrown out on the street. Last evening was not any kind of a satisfactory "hot seat." You so often have written about the fundamental importance of our right to vote. You even support voting without ID to remove any impediments to voting. Will you call for a federal civil rights investigation into this disenfranchisement and violation of fundamental civil rights? Nobody has spelled it out more clearly than you. Like Nixon to China, it'll take a D to fix what may have been purposeful and is likely not problematic for the team that won most races and controls the county. Absent a thorough investigation, democracy is dead in NorCo.
Remove the personalities and personal grudges. An independent investigation is needed. People lost their right to vote. It's that important. It rises above a county issue. This is twice, and apologies and local finger pointing are outrageously inadequate. Honorable public servants should request an independent investigation. This shouldn't be limited to council members. Elections are for everyone.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice , shame on me….kinda thing
Sh*t flows down hill. Someone in the elections office, or maybe multiple people from the elections office will fall on the sword for this one. McClure and Dertinger will continue on and come January the rubber stamp council will give McClure whatever he wants. There is too much power given to the executive.
Cusick and Giovanni got it right
Dertinger should be fired. He is responsible to make sure the machines work accurately. If it were any other employee they would be let go. BowTie is too far up McClueless's butt and McClueless is too arrogant to make that happen. Need a house cleaning!
I think john Goffredo quitting would be a good thing
None of this would be happening if Steve "Underwear Model" Lynch would have been elected!!
It's sing-a-long time!
County Executive has a first name
It's L-A-M-O-N-T
County Executive has a second name
It's M-C-C-L-U-R-E
I like to say it everyday
And if you ask I will say
LaMont McClure should resign today.
While Council has a right to be mad I think Lamont's calm and rationale approach to making sure we don't repeat these errors is something not often seen in government at any level.
As for Lori Heffner and JP (as Kerry calls him) I would call them idiots, but that would not be fair to idiots!
You are being disingenuous about Dertinger and you know it. He strong-armed those machines through. He drove not one but 2 election office heads from office with his authoritarian management style and back stabbing. After ramming these machines through (don't act like it was an undisputed choice or process) they screwed up 2 times, big time, in 4 years. The first time was because of a shoddy L & A process where issues should have been picked up as well. Know-it-all Charlie should get the boot before his arrogance screws up again.
"You have been covering for the McClure, Dertinger, Barron thug regime for years. "
This blog was the first source to note the existence of widespread problems on Election Day. And after the news conference, I was very clear to note that it was a fiasco. I rejected McClure's initial contention that it was simply a "minor error". I reported that some precincts ran out of paper and sent voters away. It was my questioning at the news conference that made clear that a coding error was missed during logic and accuracy testing. If this is covering for McClure, I have a strange way of showing it.
"Bernie, would you support a federal civil rights investigation? Many citizens had one of their most fundamental civil rights violated. Hell, it was thrown out on the street."
I agree that voting is our most basic civil right. I'm unsure how many citizens lost this right and would be interested in knowing. You claim many. I'd like names so they can be contacted. My email is bohare5948@aol.com. I'd certainly have no issues with a federal civil rights investigation. But McClure needs to do his own investigation as well so he knows exactly what steps are needed to avoid a repetition. A federal investigation could take 18 months and the county needs to act more quickly, which is why I'd say the county should do its own research as well.
"You are being disingenuous about Dertinger and you know it. He strong-armed those machines through. He drove not one but 2 election office heads from office with his authoritarian management style and back stabbing. After ramming these machines through (don't act like it was an undisputed choice or process) they screwed up 2 times, big time, in 4 years. The first time was because of a shoddy L & A process where issues should have been picked up as well. Know-it-all Charlie should get the boot before his arrogance screws up again."
Dertinger had a strange way of strong-arming these machines into the county. I'll agree the XL is the machine he liked. It was reviewed extensively by him and by Amy Cozze, who at that time was an administrator. It went through considerable vetting against an army of paper ballot supporters. Everyone was able to weigh in and the Elections Comm'n voted 3-2 to support the XL. From there, the proposal went to County Council, where there were several full blown hearings in which paper ballot purists argued that the XL was defective and paper ballots were better. County Council even delayed its vote to see how the XL worked out in Delaware. The final vote in favor of the XL was 8-1. This is the exact opposite of strong-arming.
As far the coting registrars that Dertinger supposedly ran out of the office, that is nonsense. The first of these registrars was undergoing issues I decline to identify and was allowed to transfer to archives and retire. The other registrar, Amy Cozze, left bc McClure and Dertinger opposed her desire for higher compensation. She felt betrayed, but Dertinger adored Cozze and she pretty much got whatever else she wanted when she was at the county. So no, Dertinger did not drive two voting registrars away.
Is he an asshole? Absolutely. Every Exec needs one.
Both Dertinger and McClure are guilty at time to not getting enough input from others and being stubborn. McClure especially. But my experience has been that they do listen. McClure in particular does a great deal of homework before reaching a conclusion so if you think he is wrong about something, you better come armed with facts.
Last night was a perfect example. McClure knew exactly how turnout in this race compared to turnout in 2021. He knew they were statistically similar. He knew the number of Rs who voted by mail had increased. He has already pretty much nailed down what went haywire.
I also appreciate that this supposed bully kept his cool when he was personally attacked by Goffredo and Heffner.
"I think john Goffredo quitting would be a good thing"
I don't. It was a stupid thing to say, but Council needs balance to prevent an Exec from overreaching. Goffredo and LVH provide that balance. Sometimes, like last night, they go off the rails. Other times it is the administration.
I am very leery of a new Council that will consist almost entirely of McClure rubber stamps.
I viewed the meeting on You Tube. I do also realize that you have your favorites and "not so favorites" when it comes to Council, the county executive and his "team". A stupid "human error" (and it was stupid) is referenced as the root of last week's problem but we must then dig deeper to see why this developed into the nightmare that it has. Communication, messaging, lack of both etc. on Election Day appear to be what have most people concerned. The meeting on 11/21 is going to be "a doozy". You will probably gather enough information for numerous blogs if you choose to attend. I would hope those blogs (if you write them) would be honest and impartial. I hope the room is big enough.
BernieOHare to 10:14, I have no ntention of being “impartial.” I have every intention of being honest. Anyone who claims to be impartial is already lying to you.
McClure and his crew need to go, they have over stayed their welcome and causing many issues within the county. This would not have happened if any sane person ran as a County executive last election but we got.. Steve lynch
There IS something wrong with the computerized machines. They are digital, they are dreck. No problems ever happened with those good old pull-back-the-curtain machines the county was forced to trash by the intrusion of the feds into our business. Nothing like this ever happened when we wrote and counted paper ballots. All this digital stuff IS is the problem.
Please explain why the individuals manning the polls turned off their phones and communication to them was limited. Were the instructions given to those who had phones working so unclear that poll workers may have told voters at different sites different explanations and instructions? I sorely regret I was not offered a paper ballot and rue I was not smart enough to ask for one. I probably am not the only voter that was unaware of that option. How can we help voters have a better understanding so that we are not either intentionally or unintentionally disenfranchised?
If Goffredo doesn’t resign, how can he be trusted? “Say what you mean and mean what you say”. As an elected official you can’t make threats without consequences, so from here on out Goffredo either resigns or he will be called a whiny little emotional liar. Be a man Goff, and don’t make idol threats. Do it!
11:14, Your comment is barely literate and even if I can understand what you are saying, it is ignorant. Despite your love of the old lever machines, they were scrapped,, and that happened several years before the state mandated paper trails. The problem with the old lever machines is that they were not recording cast votes. You could pull the lever and feel great, but your vote was skipped. It is the state, mot the feds, who mandated paper trails in response to a huge public outcry that people should be able to see for themselves that their vote counted. There is noting wrong with the XL. This has been established several times. And by the way, all balloting is digital, even paper ballots.
"Please explain why the individuals manning the polls turned off their phones and communication to them was limited. Were the instructions given to those who had phones working so unclear that poll workers may have told voters at different sites different explanations and instructions? I sorely regret I was not offered a paper ballot and rue I was not smart enough to ask for one. I probably am not the only voter that was unaware of that option. How can we help voters have a better understanding so that we are not either intentionally or unintentionally disenfranchised?"
Most election workers are dedicated and helpful. They do get training before every election, but they only do this twice a year. It is a long day. They are supplied with county phones precisely so that communication is possible, but some judges simply neglected to turn on their phones or never realized they received a message. Some election workers clearly gave incorrect instructions. No precinct should ever turn a voter away.
You should have been offered a paper ballot. That was a planning error and is on the county. Had I voted in person, I would have insisted on being provided one if my voter verifiable ballot failed to match my choices 100%.
"If Goffredo doesn’t resign, how can he be trusted? "
It's a bit premature. McClure might find it necessary to call for a resignation or two. But not as a sacrificial lamb. If he decides no one person is at fault, then your observation might have some merit. I can see Goffredo resigning over this, but he should not. I disagree with him and think he stepped over the line, but his voice is needed.
They were quick to throw Cozze under the bus lol.
BernieOHare to 1:40, I don’t think anyone threw her under the bus. I know she received many complaints about those emergency ballots being too heavy, and she limited the number in response. this explains why there were so few. Also, I am sure this was a decision she reached with Dertinger.
My moneys on the fact that no one will be punished, ESS will not disclose if a specific person assigned to our machines is removed ,
Dertinger and MCClure will ride out this storm hoping it will slowly go away, and we will go into 2024, with a great deal of fear.
It should be easy to make a decision on what to do with these machines when they have failed twice, and council members don't even have the confidence in them and neither does McClure who every year shows how he votes ballot on demand. If they can't even trust the machines, they have bought why should any citizen in the county trust them. Action speak louder than words, and when they want to vote ballot by demand everyone else in the county should to ensure our votes count.
Nice to see so many taking greater interest in election integrity in America. They have good reason to be skeptical ever since 2020 events and revelations since. We must get a better handle on things over the coming year.
Machines are only as good as the people programming them. Any machine can fail
That is one big hot seat !
What did voters get for 3 million?
A. Flawless voting machines
B. Repeat of 2019 flaws
C. Guy in Nebraska errors
D. CEO ESS Carbuillido second apology
E. Every vote counted proof
F. County Admin guarantee it won’t happen
G.Groundhog’s day again ..and again
H. Voting machine/preparation mistrust
The machines are made to make it ez for each district to tabulate and report. But they don’t pay for themselves. They fail to reduce cost of paper and people.
It should be determined what individual(s) certified the ballot process was correct and missed the error. I find it absolutely appaling for anyone to suggest that if a union person is at fault, let's hold a non-union person accountable, elected or otherwise. We don't know who is at fault or if the verification process is flawed. Independent investigation is in order to determine how the mistake happened and how it was missed during the testing phase.
And the Dems will not get 65% write in’s for Biden. Not going to happen. I don’t care what CNN is pushing.
Goffredo's comments are absolutely concerning. For an elected official to demand that an hourly employee be dragged through the streets before any type of investigation can be done, just so he can feel better about himself, is utterly ridiculous. He owes them an apology. Election workers deal with enough lunatics, they don't need someone from within the county instigating yet another witch hunt.
There was disenfranchised voters as well as no proof these machines counted the proper votes. Election results should not be certified and do the election again.
Anon 8:45 am said: While Council has a right to be mad I think Lamont's calm and rationale approach to making sure we don't repeat these errors is something not often seen in government at any level.
But it just happened again. The errors were repeated.
Anon 3:35 pm said: “Machines are only as good as the people programming them. Any machine can fail”
True, but these machines have now failed twice in four years. So either they’re too difficult to program/test, or the county/company doesn’t have the personnel to be able to set them up properly.
Either way they need to go.
6:57, They have not failed. In 2019, 70% were improperly aligned and this was missed during testing. In 2023, a coding error was missed during testing. These are human errors. So were the decisions to send out so few emergency ballots, turn voters away and give bad advice. You can remove the machine but human error is a constant and it exists in ALL methods of voting. I'll agree it is simply outrageous that the L&A testing is so weak. And it is terrible if even one voter was unable to do so. The county failed. Don't blame the machine.
Charlie Tuna the County Clown Dertinger took over the Election Office and tells everyone how to run it, This is the main reason Amy Cozi left due to Charlie. He is the one responsible for making sure all is okay with machines. He thinks he know everything about anything but knows knows nothing about anything. Not many Employees here at the County like him. He is rude and obnoxious to most Employees and he is the one who should be FIRED!
If he is responsible for the multiple failures, he will be held accountable. ... If. Whether employees like him is irrelevant. He is not there to be popular,. Given your inability to even spell Cozze's name correctly, I doubt very much you have your finger on the pulse of what employees think.
I also have heard a lot of grumblings about Dertinger. He's a micro manager know it all. I hear this from long time employees, people who serve this county well. They deserve better.
Little Johnny shot his mouth off and didn’t deliver. Much like every meeting. Big man probably went home and watched himself on YouTube and flexed in the mirror. Embarrassment.
Just another point to make. When I was turned away in Forks Township and upon exiting the building I informed two ladies on their way into the building that the voting machines were down and they had run out of paper ballots. These two ladies "thanked me" turned about and walked back to their cars. I wonder how many other voters never made it into the building or were informed by other potential voters exiting the polling stations. I can almost assure you that it happened at other polling stations also.
Call this blunder whatever you want. The fact is someone didn't do their job and it became a major embarrassment. Someone must answer for that blunder. There is nothing more important to being an American Citizen that our right to vote. When that is denied, someone must answer. For McClure to apologize is mighty big of him, but he isn't the one who screwed up.
8:41, I do not expect you to Id urself publicly, but have a few questions. What precinct in Forks? Did you eventually vote? Can you email me details at bohare5948@aol.com? There is no doubt in my mind that some people were unable to vote at all. Lower SauconTp has set up a questionnaire on its webpage and the county should do so as well. It owes each voter who was disenfranchised a personal apology.
NC's biggest error was hiring McClure who hired Dertringer at a ridiculous salary. Then hired Cozze and all know why that happened.
Some of your readers are aware of many problems caused by newer technology systems in several states across America. Doesn’t matter if those problems were machine malfunctions, coding errors, or a lack of human preparation. Doesn’t matter what brand of machines were used. Doesn’t even matter if any such problems happened in Northampton County!
The reality is, newer technology HAS already disrupted and changed final totals all across this nation. I believe some of the errors resulted in persons winning elections they really didn’t win. Some are now in office illegitimately.
Most of us DON’T WANT fuzzy elections in America !!
If any election system fails more than once, here or someplace else . . . . we don’t want to rely on that system again. Accurate elections are too important.
Say what?????
8:05, I understand your objection, which is a bit more thoughtful than those that just slam the machine. But the logical consequence of your argument would mean that we'd have to do away with democracy itself. I say this because ALL voting systems are flawed. No matter what system is used, there are going to be some errors. That has been going on through our history. In many of the older systems, these errors go unnoticed bc of the lack of a paper trail. Now that we have a paper trail, we discover error more readily and can take steps to correct them, even in the middle of an election. I agree that this can be a nightmare when it happens during an election, and that is why pre-election testing is so important. I will write a post on this topic.
8:05 here. Thanks, Bernie. Yes, machines of every type fail, and people will make mistakes no matter what kind of machine it is. This situation, though, is of a more threatening nature as it can affect millions of people, and we are deciding who will lead us into the future. We shouldn’t expect perfection. That’s not happening.
I am quite old. I will tell you, as America is going, I have become more cynical about many things. Especially those matters of a political nature. I feel surrounded by lying and cheating by our leaders. Just too many examples to ignore.
A company insider made it clear the county dictates how their ballot is tested. Despite Dertinger and your objections. As a public official we can mention him, right?
You are pathetic…now All voting machines are flawed? You said the ESS machine wasn’t…
You flip more than the ESS screen in 2019 and 2023!!!
If County Council/Commissioners would do their job, this issue would never have occurred. They allowed Dertinger to run the election instead of them fulfilling their responsibilities as the watchdogs of the County. Shame on them. Our new County Controller will do an independent audit of this election and make an unbiased report to the people of Northampton County.
Wink wink....sure she will.
Facts....He's DEFINITELY...the one in charge of elections!! He STRUTS around as such!! And should be held ACCOUNTABLE!!
Didn't the "Election Commission" give a vote of "no confidence" in these machines back in 2019? There was a big hassle over purchasing these machines. Election Commissioner Deborah Hunter wanted nothing to do with them because of their bad reputation and her reward for opposing this Company was removal from the Board. Am I remembering this correctly? It was almost 5 years ago.
"You are pathetic…now All voting machines are flawed? You said the ESS machine wasn’t…
You flip more than the ESS screen in 2019 and 2023!!!"
You have twisted what I said. I did not say that all voting machines are flawed. What I said is that all voting systems are flawed. And that is because humans are in charge.
I just "googled Deborah Hunter member Northampton County Election Commission and got a refresher on what happened back then. This Company used the same excuse back then (Human Error) as they are using now. The problems were basically the same just a different year. The individual responsible for this years screw up has no legitimate excuse for the screw up. McClure took full responsibility for the screw up back in 2019 and apologized just like he is doing again. We know he didn't test the machines but who did?
"Didn't the "Election Commission" give a vote of "no confidence" in these machines back in 2019? "
Yes, in 2019, the NorCo Elections Comm'n declared 4-0 it had no confidence in the XL, the system it had previously recommended. But it stopped short of recommending that the system be scrapped. That same commission also was opposed to epollbooks, which pretty much every election worker supports. Deb Hunter did but heads with Dertinger, but I'm unclear on why she was not reappointed. It is the party chair, and not the Exec, who provides names. I honestly have no idea whether Deb wanted to stay.
https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2019/12/elections-commn-has-no-confidence-in.html
I found watching the Nov.16th council meeting painful. This 2023 council forgets that they bear the responsibility of the 2019 vote to accept the ESS contract for the machines and programming.This 2023 council should have been held responsible to do their homework on why ESS failed in 2019 before they mouth off about firings and naming names, less they forget their own job description as the current owners of the problem. ESS and Carbulido did a great marketing job on Dertinger, McClure, Cozze, and most of the council in 2019, but red flags were thrown during the ESS courting, by many, but in the end, Northampton county now owns what fell upon the deaf ears of the 2019 council only to be defended, again, in 2023 by the same administrators, and leftover 2019 council members who should have known better.
FYI, the party chair puts forward the names, but the exec then makes a recommendation to council. If her name was put in, you can bet she was not recommended bc she crossed Dertinger.
Also, a refund for the machines was demanded by Hunter according to the article for breach of contract. That went nowhere.
Sounds like the comment was written by Heffnet or Goffredo, haha
Haha, this also sounds just Lori Heffner.
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