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Audit set to begin on Pennsylvania’s safeguard voting system

HARRISBURG, Pa. – An audit is set to begin on Pennsylvania’s voter registration system. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says he is conducting the ...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - An audit is set to begin on Pennsylvania's voter registration system. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says he is conducting the audit because he is committed to making sure Pennsylvania has fair and secure elections in the future.

"It's about making sure that as Americans and as Pennsylvanians every single voter that is eligible to cast a vote and casts a vote is able to do that securely," said DePasquale.

This comes after reporters that Russians were scanning the state's voter registration system to find any insecurities in the 2016 election. The Department of Homeland Security says there is no indication any data was breached. DePasquale's announcement of the audit comes after an audit authorizing bill passed in the Pennsylvania Senate Unanimously in March but has stalled in the House State Government Committee. The audit has bipartisan support, with some lawmakers saying it is the common sense thing to do.

We're not really looking for a boogie man," said Sen. Kim Ward, (R) Westmoreland County. "We just want to make sure it's the way it's supposed to be and we can go to the voters and tell them we're good."

The audit will cover January 2016 through the end of the audit, focusing on the Department of State's Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, also known as SURE. Some legislators say the system is outdated and hope the audit, by looking into security protocols and how records are maintained, will help secure and streamline the system, while also finding out where changes should be made.

"We're not trying to accuse anybody of anything," said Sen. Mike Folmer, (R) Dauphin, Lebanon and York Counties. "We're just saying, 'Hey, Let's look at this, let's get this out in the open, let's get it transparent and go from there."

As for when this audit is expected to be complete, DePasquale says as soon as possible so any recommendations can be made in time for the 2020 election.

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