I recently co-sponsored legislation to purchase equipment & software upgrades for more efficient ballot processing critical to support large elections, such as the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election. As you may know County government is charged with conducting elections. We do this despite challenges created by the State Legislature. Note: The State makes the rules. We are charged with conducting elections based on them.
So, whatever you think of the enactment of Act 77 in 2019 (Mail in Voting), counties are where the responsibility to conduct elections happens based on rules made at the state level.
To continuously address challenges created by these laws including pre-canvassing and tight deadlines we support our elections office with new equipment, training & software. This batch helps in several ways. One area is tightening up the chain of custody for equipment with a system utilizing RF trackers, security bags etc. Another is online training for poll workers that election staff can track for completeness. Lastly, we’re upgrading and purchasing new and faster scanning equipment.
All these items ensure Lehigh Co. can continue to conduct efficient, fair & transparent elections.