Local counties tackle voter concerns

Residents asking questions about hacking, brand of voting machines, paper ballots

EBENSBURG -- County elections offices are used to being inundated with questions about polling place changes and absentee ballot applications in the days leading up to any major vote.

But in an unusual election cycle, office workers are dealing with questions for which they might not have been prepared.

"People have called in asking about what (voting) machines we have, and are they susceptible to hacking," said Blair County Director of Elections Sarah Seymour. "That's new for this year."

Cambria Elections Director Shirley Crowl told commissioners on Thursday that she and county solicitor Bill Barbin had prepared a statement to read to voters calling with questions about voting machines.

Crowl said her office has fielded several calls from voters concerned that the county's brand of machines are owned by a supporter of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and therefore will be rigged against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Several online political blogs have falsely claimed that Smartmatic voting machines are owned by billionaire businessman George Soros, a Clinton supporter.

"Cambria County uses iVotronic voting machines," Crowl said in a statement.

Seymour said most of the misinformation, including concerns over hacking or machine rigging, seems to be spread through social media.

She said she's explained to voters that voting machines are never hooked up to a network and that steps are taken to check election results along the way before they are forwarded to the state Department of Elections.

"Even the computers that house our software and our tallying. … Everything is hardwired," Seymour said.

"We keep our machines in a secure location, locked at all times," Seymour said.

Crowl noted that her office has four points at which she can check vote tallies against another source to verify them.

Information from voting machines are stored on memory chips both within the machine, as well as within the plastic cartridge, called the personalized electronic ballot, voters insert into the machines to log their votes.

A paper tape with vote totals is printed at each precinct before it's taken to the county courthouse to be entered into a computer for tallies to be made.

That computer is not connected to the internet, Crowl said.

That data is then saved on a flash drive and connected to another computer on a secure internet connection so it can be uploaded and sent to the state.

"The numbers reported can be checked against the numbers on the tape at each precinct," she said. "And, if need be, at a later time, against the internal memory chip in each voting machine."

'Misinformation is circulating'

Both Crowl and Seymour said voters also have called to say they plan to request a paper ballot at their precinct.

"Misinformation is circulating," Cambria election officials said through a press release. "The casting of paper ballots on Election Day in Cambria County is expressly prohibited by the Pennsyl­vania Election Code."

Seymour said in any precinct where electronic machines are available, they must be used.

Seymour said the false information about paper ballots is so widespread that the Department of State sent a memo to every Pennsyl­vania county addressing it so that local elections offices would be prepared.

Debra Brown, Bedford's elections director, said because the county uses both paper and electronic ballots, voters there have a choice.

Brown added that she has not gotten questions about hacking. She said the most common concern among Bedford voters is late absentee ballot applications.

A lot of voters wait too long because they don't realize they have to go through an application process, she said.

Tuesday is the last day to file an application, with all ballots due back to county election offices by 5 p.m. Friday. Those wanting to submit absentee ballots have to mail the ballot or drop it off in person.

"Some people … wait until the last minute to apply for a ballot, and it causes problems with issuing an absentee ballot," Brown said.

Poll watcher process changed

Cambria County also has changed the way it certifies poll watchers in advance of Nov. 8.

Barbin, the county solicitor, said in years past the elections office would hand out blank certificates to be used by political party leaders or candidates.

This year, Barbin said, those wishing to be watchers have to apply in advance -- by Friday -- and receive a completed certificate. There are no restrictions on watchers, Crowl said, and watchers can go anywhere in the county.

"Now we'll know who the watchers are and where they are," added Commissioner Mark Wissinger.

The process is a little different in Blair County, Seymour said.

Watchers must be registered to vote in the county and their watcher's certificate is good in only two precincts, one of which has to be the watcher's home precinct.

"We issue the poll watchers' certificates that include the commissioners seal and also the rules and regulations for poll watchers," she said.

Precinct officials also will have a copy of who has applied so they know who might be coming to the polls and how they might handle any disruptions.

Typically, poll watchers are used to search voter rolls and contact those who had not yet cast their ballots.

But with Trump encouraging his supporters to use their position to uncover instances of alleged voter fraud, Seymour said watchers should keep in mind that they cannot interfere.

"If they would like to challenge a voter because of their residency or their identity, they'd be speaking to the judge of elections there," she said. "They're not to be disruptive in the room."

Mirror Staff Writer Kelly Cernetich Brown is at 946-7520.