YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A problem with the election machines in York County could allow a single voter to vote more than once for certain candidates.
The county’s Elections and Voter Registration department learned of the issue late Monday afternoon but it was determined to be too late to re-program the machines, according to the York County Board of Elections release.
Notices were posted at all polling places, reminding voters they may vote only once for cross-filed candidates in the same race.
An action plan to verify votes in the potentially impacted races is being developed by the county and the voting machine vendor, the Board of Elections release adds.
York County is also in communication with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The Department of State issued this statement:
York County election officials made us aware yesterday of a ballot programming situation in voting machines countywide that could allow a voter to cast two votes for any candidate who cross-filed or who qualified for both the Democratic and Republican tickets. The county is also addressing reports that voters in some areas have encountered difficulty in casting straight-party ticket votes.
The Department urges York County voters to pay close attention to instructions from precinct poll workers. Voters should also carefully review their selections before casting their votes.
It is our understanding the York County Board of Elections, in an effort to mitigate overvotes, directed notices to be posted at all York County polling places informing voters they may only cast one vote for each candidate.
In addition, York County election officials are already working with the voting machine vendor to determine the most efficient method for county officials to manually verify and reconcile vote counts in the potentially affected races.
Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres plans to request a formal post-election review and report from York County as authorized under the PA Election Code. York County’s report will enable the Department of State to advise the County in implementing additional controls to avoid such occurrences in the future.
