Warren Township Supervisors

Subject: ELECTION SECURITY MEASURES IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA From: Franklin County Pennsylvania Election Board Franklin County is assuring our voters that we tak...e voting and election security very seriously. The following security measures are in place for the upcoming election on November 3rd: Absentee & Mail-in Voting: We only send out a ballot to those that have requested one. Voters requesting a ballot are required to submit either their driver’s licence number or the last four digits of their social security number so that a secondary check may be performed with either PennDOT or the Social Security Administration prior to mailing out a ballot. If we do not receive a match back, additional measures are taken before a ballot will be issued. When the voted ballot is returned, the signature on the declaration envelope is matched against the signature on the voter’s file. We understand that a person’s handwriting can change over time, but any significant variation of the signature will cause the ballot to be reviewed by the County Board of Elections during Official Count for a determination. While drop boxes are allowed under current law, Franklin County decided not to offer drop boxes due to security concerns. Instead we offer two return sites where a voter can present their voted ballot to an attendant who verifies that it is completed correctly and then instructs the voter to place it into a secured ballot box. With this practice we can ensure that the voter is returning their own ballot, unless for a voter with a disability, and that no ballot harvesting is occurring. Pre-canvassing & Canvassing of Absentee & Mail-in Ballots: Under current law, the County Board of Elections cannot start pre-canvassing the ballots until the morning of November 3rd. Pre-canvassing is the process necessary to get the ballots ready to be run through a central ballot scanner to be counted. We have a dedicated group of employees who assist with this process which includes opening the outer declaration envelope, removing the secrecy envelope, opening the secrecy envelope and unfolding the ballot to flatten it. Once flattened, the ballots will be placed into a ballot bag with keyless security and stored in a secured area until ready to be counted. All employees assisting with election-related tasks are required to sign an oath. Both the Democratic and Republican parties will be permitted to assign an authorized representative to be present during both the pre-canvass and canvass to observe. The County Election Board, made up of the three County Commissioners, will oversee the canvassing (counting) of the absentee and mail-in ballots which will start Wednesday morning, November 4th. Voting Equipment: The County’s election equipment vendor is Election Systems & Software (ES&S), one of the largest manufacturers of voting machines in the United States. We have used ES&S for approximately 35 years in Franklin County and have been very satisfied with their products and service. The DS200, ExpressVotes and DS450 used in Franklin County ensure our voters that we are voting on the most secure, accessible and auditable equipment available. Each piece of equipment had to pass very vigorous testing at both the federal and state level before being certified to be used in PA elections. The precinct scanner and central scanner both allow for a voter to use a paper ballot to record their vote and upon scanning their ballot in, the vote is tabulated immediately and a digital image of their entire ballot is captured. At no time is any voting equipment connected to the internet. All results are saved to an encrypted thumb drive and hand delivered to the County to be counted. Voting equipment is also password protected and is sent out to the polling places with tamper-evident seals. Election Results: Prior to each election, a Logic & Accuracy test of every piece of election equipment is performed to ensure that the machines are programmed correctly and the ballots are counting accurately. We also hold a public test the Friday before each election to demonstrate that the machines are working properly and counting accurately. After each election, a two percent (2%) hand count of ballots is performed to confirm that the results from the precinct counters match the hand count. The County has overseen several court-ordered recounts over the years and no hand recount has ever changed the outcome of that particular race involved in the requested recount, including one race where a candidate lost by only one vote. The County is also participating in a risk limiting audit with the PA Department of State which is used to provide a high-level of confidence and statistical verification that the outcome of the election is accurate. The County is also participating in two mock elections, overseen by the PA Department of State, to again ensure that election results are being uploaded correctly. Results from our stand-alone computer, not connected to the internet, are always saved to a thumb drive and taken to a different laptop to be uploaded to the state. General Election Security: Franklin County is in constant communication with the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Internet Security of Election Infrastructure, as well as Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). ###

CALLING ALL FARMERS!! The Ag Plan Reimbursement Program still has money to reimburse farmers for getting Ag Plans written for their operations! Please see deta...ils in the bullets and image below! Eligible Plans: Manure Management Plans (Chapter 91) Agricultural Erosion and Sediment Control Plans (Chapter 102) Act 38 Nutrient Management Plans Act 38 Nutrient Balance Sheets Conservation Plans(must meet Chapter 102 requirements) Crop year updates Reimbursement Amounts: Tracts 10 acres or less are eligible for $250. Tracts 11 to 50 acres are eligible for up to $500. Farms larger than 50 acres can receive an additional $10 per acre up to a maximum amount of $1,500. Operations can receive a maximum of $1,500 per plan and $6,000 per operation. Operations can apply for multiple plans. Operations cannot receive more funding than the consultant has invoiced for the plan(s). Key Deadlines: All registration forms must be received by April 1, 2021. Completed plan application packages must be received by May 31, 2021. The program ends June 30, 2021.

Our amazing Treasurer, Rachael McCarty brought an interesting statistic to me, and I had to share it with you guys! Did you know that 50% of our liquid fuels fund, which pays for majority of the roadwork in our township, is determined by Census figures?! PLEASE! Help out yourself, your neighbors, and our whole township, and remember to respond to the Census! Our township is counting on you!

Comment your favorite Warren Township picture for a chance to have it added as our cover photo!! The picture with the most likes will be chosen!

The agenda for tonight's meeting. My apologies it's late this month, I was having computer issues. We hope to see you all tonight at 7!

Time to update our cover photo! Share your favorite picture in and around the Cove in the comment section to have it chosen as our newest cover photo. The photo with the most likes will be chosen!! I truly believe we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country and I can't wait to see all of your pictures!! This is my picture of a Little Cove sunset, May 26, 2020.

The 2020 Farmers Market Nutrition Program starts on June 1st. Eligible residents 60 or older by December 31, 2020 are required to submit an application via mail. For more details, please visit https://bit.ly/3c94ayB. APPLICATION: https://bit.ly/2zDodIc

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020! Please share your Warren Township Grads picture in the comments! We are proud of you!!CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020! Please share your Warren Township Grads picture in the comments! We are proud of you!!

Since Franklin County moved to yellow phase yesterday, I wanted to pass along this helpful graphic that outlines the different reopening phases. For more information visit: governor.pa.gov/plan-for-pennsylvania

Congratulations JB Class of 2020!

FYI for all of our Mercersburg Eagle families. Mercersburg Elementary School teachers will be coming through Cove Valley Christian Camp at 6:25 on Monday June 1!

Franklin County is now in the Yellow Phase of the Governor's plan to reopen Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/

This is open to Warren Township residents as well. Please share to all neighbors who could benefit from this! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3241143425918343&id=100000681522399

Franklin County plans to have all 73 polling places open for the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2nd from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm. For additional details and planned precautionary measures for the 2020 Primary, visit - https://bit.ly/2Zm1Zou