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New Voting System in Union County Ready for Election Day

EAST BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Some counties in our area will be using new voting machines for the first time on Election Day on Tuesday. All of Pennsylvani...

EAST BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Some counties in our area will be using new voting machines for the first time on Election Day on Tuesday.

All of Pennsylvania's 67 counties are required to have updated voting machines by the 2020 primary election. Union County already has its new machines in place ready to go for Tuesday's election.

Election eve is a busy time at the Union County Government Center near Lewisburg. Employees are getting ready for Tuesday's general election.

"When they are finished with their selections on the screen, a ballot will be printed out at their touch of the screen," explained Union County election clerk Kim Zerbe.

Last year, Governor Tom Wolf said all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties need to update their voting machines and have them in place by the 2020 primary election.

Union County spent $700,000 on its new voting machines. A paper ballot prints out and must be fed through a scanner on new machines.

"Get the ballot and do not leave the polling location without casting the ballot through the scanner into the ballot box," Zerbe said.

Since the machines are so new, some of the company's representatives will be on hand during Election Day to make sure things run smoothly.

"This younger generation knows about tablets and stuff. I don't think it will be a problem for them," said Linda Dantonio, a judge of elections in White Deer Township.

"We had two and a half hours of good training, and then this past Saturday, we had more training. I keep reading my instructions."

Counties in Pennsylvania must choose new voting systems by the end of this year. The new voting machines must be in place by the 2020 primary election.

Gov. Wolf approved $90 million in state funding last week to help counties pay for all these new voting machines.

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