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Montgomery County Election Board certifies May 19 primary; members call for clearer public timeline and probe e-poll book problems
Summary
The Montgomery County Election Board unanimously certified the May 19, 2026 primary after the statutory five-day post-canvass period with no recount petitions filed. Board members praised staff, proposed publishing a high-level schedule of election milestones, and said they are investigating e-poll book issues from election day.
The Montgomery County Election Board voted to certify the results of the May 19, 2026 primary election during its June 8 meeting, saying the county completed its canvass and the statutory five-day waiting period with no recount petitions filed.
Frank Dean told the board that the Pennsylvania election code requires counties to certify results by the third Monday following an election and to observe a five-day waiting period after closing the canvass. "We closed last week on June 2nd and completed the first signing on the same day. We are at the end of the five-day period and no recount petitions have been filed," Dean said, and asked the board to certify the results.
A board member moved to certify the May 19 primary results and Commissioner DiBella seconded. The board voted in favor; the Chair announced the motion carried.
Board members used the certification item to praise election staff and to urge clearer public communications about the election timeline. "A lot of people don't fully understand all that goes into running our elections in Montgomery County," the Chair said, urging a high-level schedule of milestones to be published on the county website so voters could track progress during canvass and certification steps.
Members also discussed operational issues from election day, including a significant volume of write-in ballots that required manual review and problems during the county's first major rollout of electronic poll books. "We're looking at the problems that existed, the root causes, and we're going to be, as a county, addressing it as we're moving forward," a board member said, noting about 900 e-poll books were in use.
The meeting closed after a brief exchange about outreach options; members suggested webinars or town halls to explain processes such as first signings, canvasses and when certification occurs. The board adjourned following a motion to close the June 8 meeting.
Next steps: the certified results will stand absent a recount petition having been filed during the waiting period; board members directed staff to prepare a public-facing timeline and to continue investigating e-poll book issues.
