Following the ruling in favour of the Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein’s 2016 suit seeking for recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan (which played a large role in deciding the 2016 polls) Governor Tom Wolf has affirmed the state’s commitment to buying voting systems that keep verifiable paper records in 2020.
Stein filed the lawsuit back in 2016 when these three states, known for their history of supporting Democratic candidates, were the deciding factors responsible for giving President Trump victory over Hilary Clinton in the narrow, unexpected win.
Stein’s recount lawsuit revealed concerns over several missing or uncounted ballots but didn’t change the final outcome of the election results.
Wolf, however, had begun the process to ensure transparency and security of votes months before a ruling was made, pushing for counties to upgrade to voting machines with the ability to leave paper trails as four in five Pennsylvania voters used machines that lacked an auditable paper trail at the 2016 polls. It is important to note that these machines also did not possess protection against hacking and vote manipulation.
While the lawsuit accused Pennsylvania of abusing its people’s constitutional right to vote, Pennsylvania is one of the 13 states where 80% of state voters use pervasive machines to vote without a printable ballot or backup for vetting and referrals.
The settlement issued, based on Stein’s case, also mandates the state with instituting audits of election results by 2022 before results are certified, based on results of deliberations made by a state assembled yet independent group , which must have been put together by the 1st of January.
With a total cost of $125 million for the new intended voting systems, according to reports, and $14 million already available from the federal government, concerns have been raised on how the remaining monies will be raised, as Wolf continues to seek funding from state lawmakers to foot at least half of the bill.
