Jun 6, 2019 2 min read

Washington County now plans to purchase and deploy new voting machines in time for the April 2020 presidential primary election.

While machines with a paper audit trail won’t be part of the next election on Nov. 5, Melanie Ostrander, Washington County elections director, said changes are afoot as to where some voters will be casting ballots.

Among the changes that won court approval in 2017 are expansion of the number of precincts in Cecil, North Strabane and South Strabane townships; a change in precinct boundaries in Amwell Township; and consolidation of Donegal Township’s three precincts into two.

A decrease in the number of Canton Township precincts took effect during the recent May 21 primary election.

Voters in some Cecil and North Strabane polling places faced long lines during the 2016 presidential election, but the state requires no more than 1,200 registered voters per precinct to keep voters from becoming discouraged and opting not to cast ballots due to waiting times.

The elections office is still in the process of finding additional polling places, but voters who are being reassigned will be notified by letter over the summer.

The Washington County canvass board completed its tasks late Tuesday afternoon, and incumbent Democratic Coroner Tim Warco secured a Republican nomination with 315 write-in votes in addition to that of his own party. No Republican filed in March for the post.

The canvass board’s wrap-up sets in motion a five-day challenge period. Because the final day is Sunday, when the courthouse is closed, the last day to challenge results by filing with the prothonotary will be Monday, June 10.