Post-election audits back accuracy of unofficial results

(The Center Square) – Two post-election audits back the accuracy of Pennsylvania’s unofficial results, according to the Department of State.

Secretary Al Schmidt announced the findings on Monday, nearly a month after the agency initiated the process of reviewing 37,000 ballots for the state treasurer in 32 counties.

All 67 counties reviewed a random sample of 2% of ballots cast in their jurisdictions to test the accuracy of local results.

Hand-tallied reviews of 55 random batches of ballots cast in the treasurer’s race, in which Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity defeated Democratic challenger Erin McClelland by 426,000 votes, found a six-vote discrepancy.

“These audits are statistical proof that the reported general election results are accurate, which is a testament to the hard work of county election officials who have spent weeks diligently ensuring the integrity of the election results,” Schmidt said.

It’s been a long month for election boards across the state after a contentious recount in the U.S. Senate race put workers in the crossfire. Democratic incumbent Bob Casey Jr.’s campaign said thousands of votes were discarded because of human error, namely by those tallying provisional and mail-in ballots that had dating or signature errors.

Casey conceded the race 17 days after the polls closed as the ongoing recount upheld McCormick’s 17,000-vote lead. Counties finished the process on Nov. 26 and submitted final results the following day.