The ordinance, 2025-09, requires the borough’s canvass board to hand-count ballots in municipal elections from two random precincts and compare them to the ballots counted by equipment. Ballots for the manual audit would be drawn from the borough’s 32 voting precincts and the early voting station.
It is a small change in code, but attracted about two hours of public testimony. Several current and former election workers, like Lisa Baraff, commented on the current security of elections.
“As a longtime borough resident and voter, I trust in our election process and appreciate that we have both paper ballots and optical scanners," Baraff said.
"When I became an election official, frankly, I was blown away by the numerous security and cross-checking measures we employ from setting up, running and closing down polls, including transmitting data through a modem. At the end of the night. We take this very, very seriously.”
Since 1981, borough code requires municipal elections to be assisted by machine counting, and since 1998 code requires ballots to be counted by machines, which are proven faster, more accurate and cheaper than hand-counting.
But many testifiers, like Ruben McNeil said they don’t trust elections that are not counted by hand.
“It’s been presented here tonight that there's enough questions and, uh, doubt in the dominion voting machines that, that, uh, that we should move on from that,” McNeil said.
The ordinance would add a human cross-check to the equipment counting. During debate on the ordinance, Assembly member Scott Crass suggested curious people get involved in helping with elections.
“I took copious notes from the folks that spoke out here today. What it comes down to is trusting your friends and neighbors and the volunteers that make this system work. And if you have concerns, you get involved. Everyone that gets involved, they start to look at this and go, this is a very well thought out and secure system,” Crass said.
Assembly member Tammie Wilson moved to amend the ordinance to include the Early Voting station as well. It is treated as a precinct by itself, and is the largest, with 2,000 – 3,000 ballots. Borough Clerk April Trickey says she looked at the possibility of counting the early voting station in her analysis of the ordinance when it was proposed.
“It is our largest, I think adding it, I still think we can do that within the day, the day after the election, and do it within the budget that we currently have," Trickey said.
After that assurance, the amendment passed. Crass, Rotermund, Wilson, Haney, Reeves-Ramos, Lajiness voted for, Kelly, O’Neall, and Guttenberg voted against.
Assembly member Brett Rotermund said it was about building trust in the counting equipment.
“I never really bought in to all of the theories that the machines could be hacked," Rotermund said.
"That's my personal opinion. But there is a large group of people in this borough that don't trust 'em, and they've decided to drop out of the voting process. That, to me, is wrong,” he said.
David Guttenberg, who sponsored the ordinance, said he appreciated the cordial discussion, and the amendments.
“If that brings people back to voting, that's a positive,” Guttenberg said.
Members David Guttenberg, Kristan Kelly, Nick Lajiness, Scott Crass and Liz Reeves-Ramos voted for the ordinance.
Members Tammie Wilson, Brett Rottermund, Barbara Haney, and Mindy O’Neall voted against.
