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Report Ties Chester County Poll Book Failure to Human Error as County Moves on Fixes

County leaders plan training upgrades, verification checks, staffing reviews before the May primary.

Overview

  • An independent 24-page review by Fleck, Eckert, Klein & McGarry found two inexperienced, untrained employees mistakenly generated poll books listing only major-party voters in the SURE system.
  • The omission excluded more than 75,000 unaffiliated and third-party voters from printed lists and led to about 12,600 provisional ballots, most of which were later counted.
  • Investigators reported no intentional wrongdoing but cited weak safeguards, limited supervision, missing verification steps and high turnover that increased operational risk.
  • The county’s action plan embraces most recommendations, including formal training, dual-signature approvals, pre-printing spot checks and a review of staffing levels and pay, with key changes targeted before May.
  • Officials set a Jan. 27 public meeting to present the findings and plan, with a weather contingency date of Feb. 3.