Pa. GOP House leaders weigh in on election issues statewide

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, and House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove, R-York, have sounded off on voting challenges statewide.

In a joint statement, the two GOP leaders said:

“Today, another Pennsylvania election was conducted with significant voting issues reported in counties across the Commonwealth. While results are still coming in, it is crystal clear that our Election Code is in dire need of significant reform focused on accountability, security, and training. This is why we will be advancing election reform measures in the coming weeks.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to show up to their polling place trusting in the election process. They deserve the ability to leave their polling place knowing that their vote was cast accurately. As we work toward a legislative solution, we seek to make our election system better for those conducting elections and those participating in them.”

During a briefing with reporters on Tuesday night, acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid noted that “isolated incidents” occurred in various counties across the state, including Luzerne County, which reported incorrect headers on Republican ballots, Fayette County, which reported issues with barcodes on ballots that were unable to be scanned and York County, where polling places ran out of ballots and had to replenish their supply before voters could cast their ballots.

Despite the reported issues, Degraffenreid said the Pennsylvania Department of State had “no widespread” issues or concerns about the operation of the statewide primary elections on Tuesday.