What is being done about the election day hiccups in Chester County Pa.?
By Easton Martin | November 12, 2025
Chester County, Pennsylvania, experienced a major disruption on Election Day when more than 75,000 third-party registered voters were left out of the county’s electronic poll books. The error, discovered early on November 4, affected voters registered as Independent, Libertarian, “No Affiliation,” or “Non-Partisan,” who were not listed when they arrived at polling stations.
County officials instructed poll workers to issue provisional ballots while supplemental poll books were printed and distributed. In response to the scope of the problem, the Court of Common Pleas approved an extension of polling hours from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. More than 12,000 provisional ballots were ultimately cast, most due to the poll book omission, introducing additional review steps and slowing the certification process.
The Chester County Board of Elections has since begun coordinating with the Pennsylvania Department of State and preserving all relevant materials for a formal investigation. County leaders plan to appoint an independent law firm or election-systems expert by November 17 to determine how the error occurred, with findings expected in December or early January. Preliminary updates will be provided at the Board of Elections meeting on November 21.
Officials have emphasized that the investigation will not interfere with ongoing vote counting, which must be completed before the review begins. As of November 9, more than 4,300 provisional ballots had been examined.
While there is no evidence of intentional misconduct, the scope of the failure raises obvious concerns about election management and voter confidence. The omission affected every one of Chester County’s 230 precincts, indicating a systemic error rather than an isolated malfunction.
The independent probe’s conclusions, particularly on the error’s root cause and its effect on voter access, will determine whether this was a procedural breakdown or a deeper issue in the county’s election infrastructure
