Pennsylvania court rules electronic voting data is not subject to release under public records law

By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state court says spreadsheets of raw data associated with every ballot cast in an election aren’t subject to public scrutiny. The Commonwealth Court ruled Monday on “cast vote records,” which were requested by an election researcher whose work has fueled right-wing attacks on voting procedures. The 5-2 ruling sides with Secretary of State Al Schmidt, whose office argued against access to these electronic records from Lycoming County for the 2020 General Election. The court majority says the cast vote records are the “electronic, modern-day equivalent” of all the votes in a traditional ballot box. State law says the contents of ballot boxes are not public records.