Pennsylvania’s Department of State and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have taken a measured and responsible approach to ensure the absolute security of our electoral process without disenfranchising a single voter (July 27, “State Review of Voter Registrations Narrows List of Potentially Ineligible Voters to 8,698”).

Regardless of your political affiliation, all of us want the same thing: safe, secure elections. The administration should be commended for fixing a legacy issue and making sure our voting system works well and that only eligible voters cast ballots in upcoming elections.

With this issue well under control, it is now essential for the Legislature to do what it needs to do to help us secure and modernize the state’s voting systems and technology.

Pennsylvania’s aging voting systems are more than 20 years old in some cases. The statewide voter registration database is equally old. Few counties have in place voter-verifiable paper record voting systems to guarantee the accuracy and security of votes. These are vulnerabilities at a much larger scale than the ineligible registration problem.

It won’t be easy or cheap. But investment in both hardware and software is essential. That means new voting systems, electronic poll books and updates to database technology to ensure a modern, secure system.

If election security really is a priority, then funding is needed to help counties finance upgrades to ensure voting remains accurate, accessible, fair and secure.

RAY MURPHY
Deputy Director
Pennsylvania Voice
Philadelphia, Pa.

First Published: August 13, 2018, 4:00 a.m.