The commissioners contend that the Chester County system is superior to the statewide voter registry system. They sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of State May 12 asking for a second delay in implementing the computer system until after Election Day.

In their letter, the commissioners said a number of problems with SURE have yet to be resolved.

"We try our best to have the very best systems we can have," said Commissioner Andrew Dinniman. "Often our standards have to be lowered in order to comply with the state system."

The "go live" date for Chester County to implement the voter registry system is July 12, said Linda Cummings, county Voter Services director.

Brian McDonald, Department of State spokesman, said the department is working on a reply to the commissioners’ letter. However, he did not know if the county would be granted another postponement.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 mandates that all states implement a central voter registry by Jan. 1, 2006. However, state legislation passed in 2002 stipulates that implementation of SURE be completed by Jan. 1, 2005.

"Our highest priority is making sure that people have the opportunity to vote," said Commissioners’ Chairwoman Carol Aichele.

In their letter, the commissioners said the system currently is not HAVA compliant. They said other problems include duplication of voter registrations, the inability to handle redistricting or splitting of precincts and the inability to print the names of all qualified voters in the poll books.

"With the counties that are live on the system, those don’t appear to be problems that have been reported," said McDonald.

He said 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are using the statewide system.

Before the primary, Cummings had said SURE does not process information as quickly as the standalone system the county has used since 1999.

She said SURE required 12 keystrokes to perform one task, compared to two keystrokes per task in the county system.

Other counties have complained about the number of keystrokes required to enter data, said McDonald. However, he said this problem has been relatively simple to rectify.

"Any hindrances or problems that have been reported have been very minor," he said.

Commissioner Donald Mancini said the county did not want to experience delays in processing new voter registrations. Oct. 4 is the last day for voters to register before the general election.

"Our fear is, with all the new registrations, we won’t be able to keep up with it," he said.

Cummings said about 8,000 voters have registered in Chester County since November 2003. According to county estimates, 20,000 residents will register to vote this year.

Dinniman also was afraid the problems would continue on Election Day if new registrations cannot be processed in time.

"You will end up with a huge number for provisional voting," he said.

Provisional ballots will be provided to voters whose names cannot be found on general registries but claim to be registered and eligible to vote in an election district. They also will be available to registered voters who are required to show identification but cannot provide it.

Under HAVA, voters who registered by mail after Jan. 1, 2003, will have to show an approved form of identification when they appear at a polling place for the first time. This requirement applies to voters who have turned 18 since the last election as well as to previous voters who have moved to a new precinct since they last voted.

The county’s three-person provisional ballot board will have three days to rule on a ballot’s validity.

"And you’re taxing already exhausted people at that point," Cummings said.

She also said her staff might handle as many as 12,000 absentee ballots in the general election.

"That part concerns me because the procedure required to process the absentee ballots is cumbersome, in short," she said.

Pennsylvania has been identified as a battleground state in the presidential election between President Bush and likely Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry.

In addition, the state will be pivotal in the GOP effort to hang on to its slim margin of control in the U.S. Senate. Four-time Republican incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who narrowly defeated challenger U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, R-15th, of Lehigh County, in the primary, is facing U.S. Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, D-13th, of Montgomery County, this fall.

McDonald said it was "highly doubtful" that SURE could affect the outcome of the general election.

"It just deals with the voter registry system and wouldn’t have anything to do with the election itself," he said.

Cummings is afraid Voter Services staff members will have to work in shifts around the clock to meet deadlines.

However, she said, "If we have to go (on the system), we have to go. And we’ll do whatever we have to do to make it work."

Daily Local

-- Anonymous, May 26, 2004