Report of the Elections Task Force

 ELECTION SYSTEM PROBLEMS 

NOVEMBER 3, 2020 GENERAL ELECTION, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA

MANAGEMENT ISSUES TO ADDRESS

The Elections Task Force

January 24, 2021

While we respect the work of conducting the November election, we cannot declare an election a success simply because poll workers and voters overcame barriers put in their way. We should celebrate the perseverance of poll workers and voters with indignation at conditions that made perseverance necessary and with determination to redesign the systems that create these barriers.

These systems problems cost the County and the taxpayer. More than 29,000 incorrect ballots were sent to voters. Correcting this took money, time, and resources as did addressing problems created by poor poll worker training and inadequate staffing. This report covers management system problems and recommends improvements. Many of these systems problems are chronic. While the County is responsible for some and the State for others, all must be addressed.

The question is how to get the County to address these system problems in a transparent process that engages the public and incorporates feedback?

The full text of the report can be found here.