New Director of Chester County Voter Services Named Today

WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County's new voter services director comes with experience in the administration of voting systems in Berks County, as well as in the review of legislative impact on elections.

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline today announced the appointment of Karen Barsoum as Director of Chester County’s Department of Voter Services.

Barsoum brings to Chester County Voter Services more than 10 years of experience working within municipal government, including seven years as Assistant Director of Election Services for the County of Berks.

In that role, she played a key part in the research, procurement, and implementation of a new $4.5 million voting system for the 2020 primary and general elections, as well as the administration of, and public outreach and education on the new mail-in voting system for the 2020 elections.

Barsoum also reviewed federal, state, and local legislation for its potential impact on the conduct of elections; conducted poll worker recruitment and training; managed polling place research, changes and agreements; and administered voter registration for the County of Berks — more than 270,000 registered voters.

Prior to her career at the County of Berks, Karen Barsoum served as confidential secretary and
events coordinator for the City of Reading Managing Director’s Office. She has also held
positions with Twin Valley School District and with West Chester-based Quality Medical
Specialists.

Barsoum is a native of the Netherlands where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Commercial Arts. She relocated to Pennsylvania in 2002.

The position was previously held by Sandra Burke, who ended her tenure as Director of Voter Services at the end of August 2020, to retire. Bill Turner had been serving as Deputy Director for Emergency Management in Chester County when he was appointed as Acting Director of Voter Services in the midst of a contentious 2020 election season in which Chester County was one of seven Pennsylvania counties named in a lawsuit by the Trump campaign in late November. The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge on Nov. 21.

After Burke's resignation, said Brain, "Bill Turner was appointed acting director of Voter Services and led the team through the November General Election."