Chester County Board of Elections outlines municipal primary operations, fixes polling-location change and pledges remedy after ballot omission

Chester County election officials reviewed preparations for the May 20 municipal primary, approved a polling-location amendment and told political parties they would work to address a county error that left a local race off the primary ballot.

Director of Voter Services Karen Barsoom told the Board of Elections that the county is in a municipal election cycle with more than 1,500 contests and more than 700 candidates on the ballot, that polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and that 381,979 residents were listed as registered voters in county records as of the day before the meeting. Barsoom said the county had already sent 33,742 ballots to participating voters and that 13 ballot drop boxes would open May 6, two weeks before the election; drop boxes will be open on election day during polling hours.

Barsoom outlined additional timelines and processes: the Ballot Services Office at the Government Services Center begins operations April 29 for curing mail-in ballot defects, replacing or canceling ballots, and same-office registration; the last day to register to vote for the municipal primary is May 5, and the last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot is May 13. She also said logic-and-accuracy (L&A) testing for voting equipment began earlier that week and that public observation opportunities include L&A testing and the county’s central count and pre-canvass on the morning of May 20.

Barsoom said the county removed 15,853 inactive voters during a roll-maintenance action that canceled registrations flagged as inactive after two consecutive general elections. She described new items the department purchased for this election cycle, including customized provisional voting booths, and announced the county’s first poll-watcher training sessions on May 10.

During public comment, Dolores Trianni, representing the Republican Party of Chester County, raised procedural questions about whether poll workers were being told to count paper ballots at polling places, said she had been told the L&A testing directives were not followed, and reported constituent complaints that registrations had been changed incorrectly. Sandy Berman recounted an instance from a previous election when a paper ballot failed to deposit into a machine due to static electricity and said a physical count would have detected the missing ballot.

The Board considered Resolution BOE-225, a package of polling-location changes for the 2025 municipal primary. Commissioner Rowe moved to amend BOE-225 to strike the proposed change for Precinct 550; the item would have moved the precinct from Technical College High School, 1580 Charlestown Road in Phoenixville, to the University of Valley Forge. Commissioners discussed and approved the amendment and then approved the revised resolution to keep Precinct 550 at the Technical College High School.

The Board also approved routine meeting business on voice votes: adoption of the agenda, approval of the minutes of Dec. 9, and appointments to the chief clerk and acting chief clerk positions.

Separately, Republican Party chair Dolores Trianni and other public commenters said the county had left the prothonotary race off the primary ballot. The Board acknowledged the omission as a county error, said staff identified the problem and notified party chairs that afternoon, and pledged to provide written steps and to work with party officials to place the parties’ chosen candidates on the ballot. Commissioner remarks emphasized taking responsibility for the mistake and directing staff to work overtime to correct it.

No changes to vote-computation procedures were reported at the meeting. Barsoom reiterated the county’s phone number and website (chesco.org/elections) for voters seeking sample ballots, drop-box locations, and other election information.