Chesco GOP Calls For Audit After Discrepancies In Nov. 2 Election

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — After Chester County Voter Services staff identified discrepancies in the counting of mail-in and absentee ballots from the Nov. 2 election, the Republican Committee of Chester County is now calling for an audit of the votes — with Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline backing it.

"I have heard the concerns of scores of voters in the past few days. Their concerns are my concerns. I am committed to ensuring that every vote cast in Chester County is accounted for. Anything less would be unacceptable," she wrote in a letter Wednesday to the chairman of Chesco's GOP party, Dr. Dr. Gordon Eck.

According to RCCC's chairman, the purpose of the audit is not to overturn the election. Rather, the goal is to ensure that voting machines are working properly, that applicable state and federal laws were followed, that the voter registration lists were accurate and current and only allowed eligible individuals to vote, etc.

Democrats in Chester County, however, aren't convinced.

Chester County Voting Discrepancies: The Background

The push for an audit comes after Chester County Voter Services staff discovered two days after the election that more votes were received than counted, officials said. Voter services determined a software problem caused the discrepancy and has worked with its voting system vendor, ES&S, to resolve the issue.

The county brought the issue to the attention of both the Democratic and the Republican parties on Friday, Nov. 5. Over the weekend of Nov. 6 and 7, Voter services staff re- scanned all mail-in and absentee ballot envelopes to ensure proper voter credit was applied.

On Monday, Nov. 8, the county decided, with both the Democratic and Republic parties agreeing, that the mail-in and absentee ballots in question would be correctly re-scanned and uploaded. The original results were removed from the system and the correct results updated.

Also, on Friday, Nov. 5, county officials said voter services discovered additional mail-in ballots from a drop- box located at the Downingtown Library had not been counted. Again, both parties were alerted and provided information about the chain of custody (that all ballots had remained secured since collection). These ballots were counted on Monday, Nov. 8.

The Latest Results

As of Wednesday, the results from Chester County’s general election on Nov. 2 were deemed complete with Democrats coming out on top. According to the Daily Local News, the outcome of the results was essentially unchanged from initial reports in the races for county offices, Common Pleas and district courts, and area school boards and local offices.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Valyo, chair of the Chester County Democratic Committee, wrote an editorial in the newspaper Wednesday, accusing local Republicans of "playing the Trump card" and calls the demand for an audit "outrageous."

"There is no doubt that the delay in finalizing the election results has been frustrating for all involved, but it has been handled with the utmost professionalism and transparency," Valyo's editorial partially reads. "Democrats were successful in this election because we ran on the real issues impacting voters’ everyday lives."