Pennsylvania must keep up on voting systems, lawmakers told

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top elections official is warning that failing to replace voting machines by 2020 could make the state the only one without a voter-verifiable paper trail.

Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s acting state secretary, also told senators Wednesday during an Appropriations Committee hearing that election-security experts agree that moving to voting machines that allow voters to double-check how their vote was recorded needs to happen by next year.

That includes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Boockvar was responding to questions by Sen. Bob Mensch over why Pennsylvania is rushing to buy machines at considerable taxpayer expense when there’s no legitimate example of a voter irregularity in Pennsylvania.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s push for new machines comes after federal authorities say Russian hackers targeted at least 21 states during 2016’s presidential election.