2007 News

May 17, 2007

Bucks County Commissioners Praise Board of Elections Following Municipal Primary Success

On May 15, for the second time in six months, Bucks County residents exercised their right to vote on the county’s Danaher 1242 electronic machines. Building on the momentum of last November’s General Election, the Municipal Primary Election represented another efficient rollout of the full-face ballot technology that has rapidly become familiar to Bucks voters. A total of 90,648 individuals, or 22 percent of the county’s registration base, exercised their right to push the green VOTE button.

“We congratulate the Board of Elections and our Voting Machine staff on another job well done,” said Charles H. Martin, chairman of the Board of Bucks County Commissioners. “Once again, the machines were deployed to our 309 voting districts, which operated them without incident. Although the ballot was more complex than last November, voters continued to discover that the machines work smoothly while providing a significant level of comfort.”

The commissioners, along with county Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko, reiterated their faith in the “tried, tested technology” that is integral to the county’s voting system, which is also used in Philadelphia and Dauphin counties and the State of Delaware. They highlighted the expeditious manner in which the system enables results to be posted to the county website, via the link: www.buckscountyelections.org. The county Information Services and Public Information departments are committed to seeking additional ways to disseminate the results in a timely fashion during the upcoming Nov. 6 General Election.

Commissioner Martin underscored the county’s mission to facilitate “ease of use” at the polls, one of the primary selection criteria in choosing Danaher as the county’s means of complying with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. Martin also noted that a large percentage of voters were casting their ballot on the machines for a second time.

Results of the Municipal Primary are unofficial until certified by the Board of Elections. That process will be finalized on Friday, May 18.