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By JOHN RISHEL
jrishel@lockhaven.com
LOCK HAVEN -- All Pennsylvania counties were mandated in February by gubernatorial order to update and replace their voting computers with models that leave a paper trail by Dec. 31, 2019, prior to the 2020 elections.
Most counties, including Clinton County, are opposed to the mandate, saying they can't afford it, haven't had time to explore the options, and further, don't believe it is necessary.
Although the Clinton County commissioners are doing their do diligence by reviewing voting machines and proposals, they continue to push back and are hoping that counties join forces and get the mandate changed.
Meanwhile, the board of directors of the SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) has jumped on the bandwagon, approving a resolution and issuing a statement on Thursday in opposition to the mandate, becoming the latest body to criticize the directive from Gov. Tom Wolf.
"There is a Senate State Government Committee and an Elections Reform Committee formed by CCAP that have been appointed to study and determine the appropriate security measures. They have not yet completed their work," SEDA-COG detailed in its statement.
"There is considerable misunderstanding and misinformation about the levels of risks associated with electronic manipulation or hacking in Pennsylvania counties and there are currently insufficient equipment vendors available meeting the imposed equipment standards to assure a competitive market. Pennsylvania counties are statutorily authorized to manage elections and the equipment for all elections in the Commonwealth. The commissioners of the counties believe that many of the systems currently in place are proven both accurate and secure. The arbitrary replacement of existing and secure equipment is both expensive and disruptive to the voters, polling staff, and to the counties.
"The SEDA-COG opposes the Commonwealth's mandatory replacement of voting equipment used by the counties for election purposes, when such equipment can be demonstrated to meet appropriate security criteria. Full funding shall be provided by the Commonwealth to any county required to replace voting equipment, which is unable to meet appropriate security equipment standards," the statement read.
SEDA-COG's resolution also calls on the state to provide full funding to any county required to replace its voting equipment.
The estimated cost of replacing all voting machines in the state is $125 million.
For Clinton County, the cost of replacing 83 voting machines is at least $400,000, according to Commissioner Pete Smeltz.
"There are grants out there for this, but they are very small. The government has funded money, but it is not nearly enough... they are trying to see it pushed to the local level. They've made only $36,000 in funding available to Clinton County," Smeltz said at a recent meeting.
"We need more funding and more time to get this in place. I hope to use the CCAP Fall Conference, which begins Sunday and continues through Tuesday in Hershey, to get commissioners on board with our stance in other counties," Commissioner Jeff Snyder said.
"Snyder is going to try to lead that discussion," Smeltz said. "We did review the voting machines and proposals of three different companies. Personally, I like one machine over the others, but there are options. How do we come up with nearly half a million dollars to meet the standard for these voting machines? It remains to be seen how we could do that."
"There has been some discussion of counties getting together for volume purchases, but some of these companies aren't even certified. That in and of itself is ridiculous. This kind of stuff takes time, and we have not been afforded that time," Snyder said. "It shouldn't be taking so long for them to get certified. The stars just aren't aligning there. There have been some serious issues."
The conference is described as a time for CCAP to focus on "hot topics," plan its priorities and goals for the coming legislative year with an emphasis on association and county business, according to the CCAP website.
SEDA-COG is a multi-faceted development agency serving 11 counties in Central Pennsylvania. Under the guidance of a public policy board, SEDA-COG provides leadership, expertise, and various services to communities, businesses, institutions, and residents. Its 11-member counties include Clinton, Centre, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union counties.