The Chester County Board of Elections has set two dates for an investigation into the election day error that left third-party and independent voters off the voter rolls. Those dates are Monday, Nov. 17, and Friday, Nov. 21.
The problem arose on the Nov. 4 election day when the voter roll books arrived at the polling places with only the names of people registered Democrat or Republican. Independent and third-party voters had to fill out provisional ballots. Updated roll books were sent out that afternoon, and the polls stayed open until 10 p.m.
On Monday, Nov. 17, county administration leadership will announce the independent party selected to conduct the investigation, along with established deadlines and deliverables; and on Friday, Nov. 21, there will be an update on the investigation during the Chester County Board of Elections meeting at 10 a.m.
According to county CEO David Byerman, “We identified the key questions that must be addressed through the investigation and presented the Board of Elections with several options for how the review can best proceed.”
Byerman added that staff have been instructed to maintain all material relevant to the investigation and that there has been a preliminary meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of State to understand its capacity to assist in the review. He also said that law firms and other experts have been identified to conduct the investigation.
He anticipates the investigation will be finished in early or mid-December, with the final report and recommendations being presented at the Board of Elections meeting in December or January.
Early on election day, election officials found that roughly 75,000 registered voters, including Libertarian, Independent, and other non-affiliated voters, were affected.
More than 12,100 provisional ballots were cast in Chester County on Election Day, the majority resulting from the poll book error. As of the end of the day on Sunday, Nov. 9, more than 4,300 of the estimated 12,100 provisional ballots were legally reviewed.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
