{"id":2359488,"date":"2024-10-25T09:51:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T13:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pa-tech-glitch-warns-flawed-voter-system-due-for-replacement\/"},"modified":"2024-10-25T09:53:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T13:53:04","slug":"pa-tech-glitch-warns-flawed-voter-system-due-for-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pa-tech-glitch-warns-flawed-voter-system-due-for-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Tech Glitch Warns Flawed Voter System Due For Replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpa-tech-glitch-warns-flawed-voter-system-due-for-replacement%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2359488&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Pennsylvania Statewide \u200bUniform\u200c Registry \u200dof Electors (SURE) system experienced a 90-minute\u2062 outage, which Secretary of State Al Schmidt acknowledged on \u2064&#8221;The Dom Giordano Show.&#8221; The SURE system is critical for managing voter \u2063registrations and activities, impacting over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hochul-wins-zeldin-leads-in-new-york-gubernatorial-primaries\/\" title=\"Hochul Wins, Zeldin Leads in New York Gubernatorial Primaries\">9 million registered voters<\/a> in the state.\u200d This outage occurred despite ongoing\u200d issues with the SURE system\u200d that have been recognized for years. A 2019 audit by then-Auditor General\u2064 Eugene DePasquale highlighted \u2062significant weaknesses and potential inaccuracies within the system, along with the lack of\u200c cooperation \u2062from \u2064the Department of State during the investigation. Following these concerns, the Pennsylvania Department of \u2064State awarded a $10 million contract to develop a\u200d replacement system called SUREVote in late 2020. However, complications arose when the contractor was acquired by another \u2063company,\u200b leaving the original contract&#8217;s \u200bfuture \u2063uncertain. Complaints regarding the SURE \u2064system have \u2062persisted, signaling ongoing \u200bchallenges for Pennsylvania&#8217;s voter\u2063 registration and\u200c election processes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>No one should be shocked that Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) system went down for about 90 minutes Thursday morning. The computer system on which most voting activities in the state hinge is a mess, and the state has known this for years.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on &ldquo;The Dom Giordano Show&rdquo; on Philadelphia&rsquo;s WPHT talk radio, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt described the SURE system as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stacey-abrams-voting-rights-pac-helped-group-that-pushed-voter-fraud-conspiracy-theories\/\" title=\"Stacey Abrams\u2019 Voting Rights PAC Helped Group That Pushed Voter Fraud Conspiracy Theories\">voter registration database<\/a> that county boards of elections interface with &ldquo;all day long.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When voters register, request a ballot, are sent a ballot, or vote, every move is <a href=\"https:\/\/casetext.com\/statute\/pennsylvania-statutes\/consolidated-statutes\/title-25-pacs-elections\/part-iv-voter-registration\/chapter-12-registration-system\/subchapter-b-statewide-uniform-registry-of-electors-sure\/section-1222-sure-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">marked<\/a> in the Sure System. More than 9 million Pennsylvania residents, every person registered to vote, have data in the SURE System.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We had an outage for about 90 minutes that prevented many counties from connecting to it earlier this morning, but has been back up for a while now,&rdquo; Schmidt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.audacy.com\/podcast\/the-dom-giordano-program-6a651\/episodes\/al-schmidt-gives-us-election-integrity-updates-6c913?action=AUTOPLAY_FULL&amp;actionContentId=201-77bd43a0-48fe-4c81-bbde-f7236d728e0c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;It was like 9:45 to 11:15 this morning. Voters who applied to vote by mail, whether it&rsquo;s in person or whatever else, could still do so. It didn&rsquo;t prevent any of that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The SURE System has had problems for a long time. <\/p>\n<p>As I reported for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/pennsylvania-to-use-flawed-voter-registry-system-in-2024-after-repair-contract-cut-short-5548812?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=digitalsub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Epoch Times<\/a>, in December 2019, Pennsylvania&rsquo;s then-Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (who is now running for attorney general) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/pennsylvania-to-use-flawed-voter-registry-system-in-2024-after-repair-contract-cut-short-5548812?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=digitalsub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> a scathing, 192-page <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paauditor.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/audits-archive\/Media\/Default\/Reports\/Department%20of%20State_SURE%20Audit%20Report%2012-19-19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> that found &ldquo;internal control weaknesses in the SURE System related to input and maintenance of voter records. The audit revealed examples of potential inaccuracies, which the report said should be sent to counties to be investigated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>DePasquale&rsquo;s report said his office could not&nbsp;&ldquo;assess the accuracy of the records maintained in the system&rdquo; and &ldquo;was unable to review security protocols of the system&rdquo; because the Department of State &ldquo;refused to cooperate with the investigation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The authors of the report suggested 50 improvements to State Department policies and recommended voter roll maintenance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-counties-sued-for-duplicate-voter-registrations\/\" title=\"Minnesota Counties Sued for Duplicate Voter Registrations\">remove duplicate voter registrations<\/a> and deceased voters.<\/p>\n<p>In light of what the report uncovered, DePasquale was &ldquo;unable to establish with any degree of reasonable assurance that the SURE System is secure and that Pennsylvania voter registration records are complete, accurate, and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and related guidelines.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the state decided to do something about it.  <\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania Department of State signed a $10 million contract on Dec. 28, 2020, with BPro, a South Dakota company, to create the SUREVote system to replace the SURE System. Less than two months later, BPro went public with the news that it had been acquired by a company named KNOWiNK, and the contract that was to run until December 2024 was taken over by the new company. (KNOWiNK is the maker of <a href=\"https:\/\/knowink.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electronic poll books<\/a> many voters sign when voting.)<\/p>\n<p>While waiting for the replacement to be built, complaints about SURE continued. <\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania House prepared a May 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.repgrove.com\/Display\/SiteFiles\/418\/OtherDocuments\/2021\/Election%20Oversight%20Hearing%20Final%20Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> that reviewed election laws and concluded, &ldquo;The SURE System is unable to meet the demands of the mail-in voting system and the needs of counties.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That report detailed problems with SURE, discovered in hearings with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-partially-bends-the-knee-acknowledges-ballots-were-counted-unlawfully-and-in-secret\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary of State Partially Bends The Knee, Acknowledges \u2018Ballots Were Counted Unlawfully And In Secret\u2019\">county election workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph Kantz, chairman of Snyder County Commissioners and Board of Elections, told the committee about lost time &ldquo;when the SURE system is down.&rdquo; It takes a long time to reboot, &ldquo;causing the processing of thousands of ballots to be delayed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kantz also explained the problems he faces when it comes to alternate addresses being pulled by the SURE system,&rdquo; the report said. &ldquo;When the system pulls an alternate address to send a mail-in ballot, this causes the ballot to be sent to the wrong address.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At that time, county election workers said they were eager to get started with an improved system.<\/p>\n<p>But the Department of State abruptly canceled that contract in December 2023, saying the work was behind schedule, and it did not believe the company would meet the standards in the contract. By then, the state had paid $3.6 million to BPro and KNOWiNK, but had nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n<p>There was not enough time to undergo the bidding process, choose a new contractor, and build a new system, so, nearly five years after DePasquale blew the whistle on the faulty SURE system, Pennsylvania is still using it in the 2024 election. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Department of State did not respond to questions for this story.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">award-winning investigative journalist<\/a> with decades of media experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania&#8217;s SURE system outage isn&#8217;t surprising; it&#8217;s been problematic for years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2359492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Capitol-Building1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[32644,43713,43714],"class_list":["post-2359488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-election-integrity","tag-pa-tech-glitch","tag-voter-system"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Capitol-Building1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2359488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2359492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2359488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2359488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2359488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}