West Central PA News

Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee Chairman Sen. Cris Dush (R-25) has expressed his concerns and reactions to the State of Election Integrity 2023 public hearing held on Tuesday. The hearing featured Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, and its purpose was to discuss the administration and results of the 2023 election, including any irregularities or problems that arose.

In his statement, Chairman Dush highlighted the importance of addressing various issues related to mail-in ballots, election night returns, voting machines, and voter registration. He commended Secretary Schmidt for his participation and candor, stating that it resulted in a productive assessment of the state's current election integrity.

While acknowledging the need for modernization in vote counting, Chairman Dush remained deeply concerned about the failures witnessed during the process. He emphasized that even small failures can lead to bigger ones, and called for a reevaluation of the effectiveness of traditional paper ballots. Chairman Dush disagreed with Secretary Schmidt's previous remarks, saying, "Paper ballots do not lead to more mistakes, and they are more reliable and secure. Paper ballots don't glitch, and they leave a physical paper trail to review. Paper cannot be hacked."

Chairman Dush also welcomed comments from Sen. Anthony Williams (D-8), who supported the idea of public notices from the secretary when county results are removed from the department's public election night returns website for review. Additionally, he supported the review of a confidential assessment of Pennsylvania's voter management database, the SURE system.

The senator expressed his concern about the current trend of prioritizing convenience over proportionate safeguards in the election process. He pointed out deficiencies in preserving the chain of custody with mail-in ballots and drop boxes, inadequate cleaning of voter rolls, and improper inspection of voting machines. Chairman Dush stressed that no one should be forced to choose between convenience and accountability, and that election integrity must be enhanced. He emphasized that every voter should be verified, every ballot should be secured, and every voting machine should be inspected and verified.

Chairman Dush concluded by stating that until these issues are resolved, doubts will persist about the electoral process. He emphasized the importance of fixing these issues to ensure that elections are free, equal, and guarantee that it is hard to cheat and easy to vote.

The public hearing can be viewed for further information.

For media inquiries, please contact Ty McCauslin, Communications Director at 717-787-7084 or tmccauslin@pasen.gov.

To learn more, click on this link: https://senatordush.com/2023/12/13/dush-reacts-to-senate-state-government-committees-2023-election-integrity-hearing/