As Pennsylvania pushes ahead with plans for new voting machines that produce a paper trail, some counties are concerned about the costs.
The board of the SEDA-Council of Governments, a development agency that serves 11 counties in central Pennsylvania, recently came out against the state’s mandate that all counties get new paper-trail voting machines by 2020.
"The counties just felt that to have this mandated in the timeframe the governor was asking was unrealistic,” said Jeff Snyder, a Clinton County commissioner and the incoming SEDA-COG board president.
Since the board of SEDA-COG approved the resolution, Pennsylvania settled a lawsuit, stating its commitment to moving to voter-verifiable paper trails that can be audited.
Most voters in Pennsylvania cast their ballots without a paper trail. That lack of paper ballot or recountable paper trail is seen as a security weakness.
If the transition is going to happen, Snyder and others are hoping the state will pick up most of the bill.
So far, about $14 million dollars from the federal government and a state match is available. But, statewide, the upgrade will cost an estimated $125 million.
Centre County voted against the SEDA-COG resolution. Commissioner Mark Higgins said the voters and poll workers he’s spoken with want systems that have a paper trail.
But, he understands where the other commissioners are coming from.
“Unfunded mandates as a commissioner — it’s not fun," Higgins said. "It’s somebody else saying, ‘Hey, here’s a good thing. You guys pay for it.’”
Governor Wolf has said in his upcoming budget plan he will ask state lawmakers to cover at least half the costs.
SEDA-COG serves Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder and Union counties.
