Jan 22, 2026 By Garrett Neese 4 min read

In a meeting with state-level officials representing Fayette County, the Pennsylvania Department of State acknowledged mistakes on its end that left some county residents unable to vote on Election Day, and outlined the steps it has taken to prevent similar mishaps in the future, State Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa announced Wednesday.

Krupa, R-Smithfield, said she had requested the Zoom meeting, which also included Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions Jonathan Marks, state Sen. Pat Stefano, and state Rep. Ryan Warner.

“I appreciate that the secretary made clear from the outset that this was not a minor issue and that the Department of State is treating it with the seriousness it deserves,” she said in Wednesday’s statement.

The DOS mistakenly sent Fayette County’s election bureau an electronic file with 2024 voter information, which was used in the electronic logbooks used to check voters in at the precincts. Mail-in voters from 2024 who had since moved to in-person voting were told they had already voted.

Fayette County precincts moved to backup paper poll books by 10 a.m. Election Day.

Of those affected, 276 cast provisional ballots, which were successfully counted, Fayette County Commissioner Scott Dunn said at the commissioners’ November meeting. About 10 voters were not able to cast any ballot because of the mix-up.

Krupa said DOS had confirmed during the meeting the incident was the result of human error, as the department had transmitted the outdated information to the vendor that provided the electronic polling pads.

They also acknowledged gaps in the quality control process that allowed the mistake to occur, Krupa said.

No DOS official responded to a request for comment as of press time.

“They didn’t have enough checks in place,” Warner, R-Perryopolis, said in an interview Wednesday.

During the meeting, Krupa said, DOS also laid out several steps it has enacted to prevent similar errors, which will be used starting with the 2026 primaries. Those steps include:

-Archiving voter files so historical data remains accessible but cannot be mistakenly used for current elections.

-Reorganizing electronic data systems to eliminate confusion and reduce the risk of human error.

-Requiring multiple layers of verification by the department, counties and vendors to confirm that the correct election year data is being used on electronic devices.

-Implementing internal tracking systems to ensure more than one individual verifies the accuracy of voter data before it is released.

“I’m glad that they outlined steps that they’re going to take going forward, and then they highlighted exactly how it went wrong,” Warner said.

Krupa and Warner both said while they think the steps will be effective in presenting future problems, they should have already been in place.

“I think that they should have had these checks and balances ready to go,” Warner said. “I would feel more confident in the manual poll books just because of what happened previously.”

In a statement Wednesday, Stefano said he appreciated the department taking responsibility, and its steps towards fixing the problems.

“Election integrity depends not only on secure systems, but on accurate processes and oversight,” he said. “I appreciate that the Department of State is acknowledging both the cause and the seriousness of these issues and am pleased to see that they are working on further preventative measures to ensure that these errors are not repeated. Voters deserve confidence that their vote is counted accurately and I am committed to upholding and protecting that right.”

Krupa pledged to keep following the issue closely and to work with the state and colleagues to ensure votes and voter information are accurate, that the state is transparent and that there is accountability when issues arise.

“While I appreciate the department’s acknowledgment of responsibility and its commitment to reform, this situation serves as a serious reminder: the right to vote is too important to be left vulnerable to preventable errors,” she said. “Every eligible voter must be able to walk into a polling place with confidence: confidence that their registration is correct, that the system is accurate and that their vote will be counted exactly as intended.”