Pennsylvania Dept. Ends Contract for Troubled Voter Registration Systems, Suspicious Activity Highlighted
The Pennsylvania Department of State has decided to terminate its contract with KNOWiNK, a company responsible for modernizing the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) System, which manages the voter registration information of over 8 million Pennsylvania voters.
The SURE System, tasked with storing the data of all legitimate, eligible voters, experienced issues. The DOS brought in KNOWiNK, an election software company, to manage the system and replace it with the SUREVote System.
However, the work was not progressing as expected. It became evident to the DOS that KNOWiNK would not sufficiently address the “identified deficiencies” in the new SUREVote system. A letter sent by Jonathan Marks, Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary for elections and commissions on Dec. 4, informed every member of the Pennsylvania County Board of Elections about the decision to end the contract.
The letter revealed that over a period of nine months, the DOS worked with KNOWiNK to rectify the course of the project. Despite the department’s efforts, it concluded that the vendor would not meet the required timelines and standards outlined in the contract.
The DOS now aims to find another vendor to take over the work. This process includes drafting and approving a new request for proposals, as well as vetting and hiring a new vendor.
Motive for Fraud
The decision to end the contract has raised concerns about potential motives behind the move, particularly in relation to the 2024 election. Former State Rep. Frank Ryan, a certified public accountant (CPA) who resigned from the Pennsylvania House to focus on election security, highlighted that there could be a motive behind delaying changes to the SURE System due to the upcoming presidential election.
SURE Trouble
The decision to overhaul the SURE System emerged after a critical report was released in December 2019 by Pennsylvania’s then-Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. The report identified internal control weaknesses in the SURE System related to the input and maintenance of voter records, raising concerns about potential inaccuracies.
$3 Million Spent
The contract to build the SUREVote system commenced under unusual circumstances when BPro, a South Dakota-based software company, was acquired by KNOWiNK. This led to the Department of State requesting an additional $3 million from the emergency purchase order to fulfill the BPro contract, which was denied.
Pennsylvania has made payments totaling over $3.6 million to BPro and KNOWiNK since February 2021, according to payment records from the Pennsylvania Treasury.
KNOWiNK provides election-related software to states and counties, including TotalVote, a centralized voter registration and election management system, ePluse, which monitors polling places on election day, and Poll Pad, a set of tablets used at polling places.
The termination of the contract with KNOWiNK raises questions about the future of the voter registration system in Pennsylvania and highlights the need for transparency and security in the electoral process.
