The Centre County Board of Elections is working on a pilot program to speed up the voter check-in process. Poll workers at three of the larger precincts in Centre County piloted an electronic poll book program during Tuesday’s election.
Beth Lechman, the county’s election director, said these electronic poll books are in addition to the paper ones. She said they could make voter registration faster in future elections.
“It's easier to find the names of the voters by typing two or three letters in instead of paging through a bunch of pages to find their name in the poll book,” Lechman said.
Even though the program is meant to help future elections, Lechman said it’s unclear if Centre County will use electronic poll books in next year’s presidential election.
“It all depends on what feedback we get from this election,” Lechman said.
Clinton and Warren counties already have electronic poll books, according to the state’s voting website. Luzerne County is hosting its own pilot program at 30 locations during Tuesday’s election. Delaware County is also beginning a phased rollout of electronic poll books during the election.
