Pennsylvania Fayette County Hand Count Challenge

Petition filed by Director of the Fayette County Bureau of Elections, Marybeth Kuznik, challenging Washington Township’s intent to audit and hand count the results of the November 2024 general election. On Election Day in Fayette County, each precinct’s judge of election deposits the completed ballots from the polling location’s voting machines into a sealed and signed bag to return to the Fayette County Bureau of Elections, along with the machines’ memory card and a copy of the tape showing the total number of votes cast for each candidate. The director claims that the Washington Township judge of election intends to conduct a hand count of the township’s results in violation of Pennsylvania law. The director asks the court to prohibit Washington Township from conducting a hand count, or, alternatively, to direct an officer from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department to escort a poll worker and the township’s election materials to the county bureau of elections once all authorized tasks are complete. 

RESULT: The director filed her petition on Nov. 5, 2024. The court ruled that Washington Township cannot hand count the results of the election.

Last updated: November 5, 2024 6:08 pm EST