The Lycoming County Board of Elections has released information in response to inquiries about post-election audits.

Board officials noted that the Pennsylvania Election Code requires each county board of elections to recount 2% of ballots after every election in order to verify the accuracy of the ballot tabulating equipment.

They noted that statistical sample audits have been conducted after every election for many years.

Woodward Township Supervisor Jeff Stroehmann, who formerly chaired the Lycoming County Republican Party, said he’d like to see more ballots considered.

“More would be better,” he said. “I think it’s the No. 1 issue on people’s minds.”

Board election officials also noted that county boards have participated in an optional pilot program for statewide risk-limiting audits that included the June 2020 primary, the 2020 general election and the 2021 primary, with Lycoming County participating in all three risk-limiting audit opportunities.

“In a risk-limiting audit, each county hand recounts a random sampling of ballots cast for a particular contest,” officials noted. “The hand recounts are combined into a statewide sampling and compared with the reported results of the contest to confirm that the outcome is accurate.”

They also noted that all 67 county boards of elections conducted a recount of all ballots cast for Judge of the Commonwealth Court in November 2021, due to the narrow margins between the candidates.

The county recounted all 23,000 in-person, mail, provisional and military/overseas ballots cast with the recount confirming accuracy of ballot tabulating equipment and the outcome of the contest.