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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Lawmaker fears state not ready for election (Translation: Get ready for a "surprise" Hillary landslide!) Workers ready to help voters with ID, other questions, official says. Despite assurances from the state's chief election official that counties are prepared for a record turnout for the April 22 primary, at least one lawmaker remains worried about disenfranchised voters and partisan vote-counting sullying the outcome. "I'm concerned whether we are ready to take care of all these voters," said Rep. Babette Josephs, who leads the House State Government Committee, which met to discuss the state's primary readiness. "I want every voter who turns out to have the opportunity to vote, and I want to make sure every vote is counted accurately." Secretary of State Pedro Cortes said election officials are ready. His department has been working with counties to process voter registrations and registration changes, to educate voters and to prepare for an election day without controversy "Our real objective is to be certain on the evening news on April 22, the news is the results of the election and not the conduct of the election," Cortes said. Josephs, D-Philadelphia, said she fears polling places might have inadequate numbers of voting machines, emergency ballots if machines malfunction and provisional ballots for voters whose eligibility to cast a ballot at a particular polling place is be in question. She is concerned that first-time voters might be turned away because they have failed to bring along the required identification. And she worries that GOP-controlled county courthouses might not count Democratic votes accurately. Because she has not received assurances from election directors in the state's bigger counties, she said, "I do not have 100 percent confidence." But officials from Cumberland, Dauphin and Lebanon counties said they are as confident as they can be that they are ready. "We are trying to anticipate as much as we possibly can so we are prepared as much as we possibly can," said Penny Brown, Cumberland County's director of elections. "We're testing things and retesting to do our very best to ensure it does go off without any problems," said Nick Yingst, Lebanon County's director of elections. Dauphin County, like the other counties, made plans to ensure polling places are adequately staffed to handle the expected lines of voters. It has contingency plans to deal with voter machine malfunctions. Staff has been trained or is being trained. Machines are being readied to be dispatched. "The one thing we've been saying all along that is out our of control, there will be long lines," said Dauphin County Commissioner Nick DeFrancesco said. "We'll do the best we can to mitigate the long lines ... but people need to plan for that and build it into their day." As for educating first-time voters about bringing identification, election officials said they have tried to do that. They also are counting on the Department of State's Ready. Set. Vote voter education effort to help. In Cumberland County, Brown said staff will work the lines of voters to prepare them about what they need and how to cast a ballot. Josephs said her concern about the election integrity stems from allegations she heard about a past election in Berks County. The rest of her trepidation comes out of the sheer number of new voters prompted by the heightened interest in this presidential primary. Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga, said he does not share Josephs' concern. Based on what Cortes and county officials have told him, Baker said, "I feel confident we are ready for a very busy and potentially record-setting primary." :
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