Demonstration evenings scheduled for September 23 to 26 at the Government Services Center
Chester County’s Department of Voter Services announces four evening opportunities to see the county’s new voting equipment in action, prior to this November’s election. Open house evening demonstrations of the new machines will take place Monday, September 23rd through Thursday, September 26th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Room 171 of the Chester County Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester.
Staff members from the Chester County Department of Voter Services and from the election equipment vendor Electronic Systems & Software (ES&S) will be on hand each evening to demonstrate the new voting precinct scanners for hand-marked paper ballots and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible ballot marking devices.
Chester County purchased the new equipment earlier this year to comply with the state mandate to upgrade equipment before the April 2020 election. Members of the Chester County Board of Elections, along with key stakeholders held equipment demonstrations in the fall of 2018, and based on feedback received, the Board of Elections authorized the purchase of the upgraded voting equipment from the current vendor, ES&S, to be used for the November 2019 election.
“In Pennsylvania, all counties must move to voter-marked paper ballots by November 2020. Chester County has led the way in using the paper ballot system since 2006, so we are simply introducing upgraded versions of our election equipment instead of a completely different system,” said Sandy Burke, Director of Chester County’s Department of Voter Services.
“Our paper ballot system is time-tested and proven to work very well. It is a safe, secure and efficient voting system, and the new upgraded machines will serve Chester County well for many future elections.”
For more information on the new voting equipment demonstration evenings, contact the Chester County Department of Voter Services at 610-344-6410 or email [email protected].