Pickett, Owlett Support Resolution to Address Election Concerns

November 19, 2020

HARRISBURG – In an effort to ensure the public’s trust in Pennsylvania’s election process, Reps. Tina Pickett (Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) and Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter) today joined a majority of their colleagues in the House of Representatives in supporting a resolution calling for an audit of the ballots canvassed in the 2020 General Election.

Specifically, House Resolution 1100 requires the nonpartisan Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to conduct a risk-limiting audit of the election. The audit would examine the process of recording and counting ballots to both confirm the accuracy of the results as well as provide suggestions about how the process might be improved in future elections.

“Simply put, this audit seeks to ensure that Pennsylvania’s election system is functioning properly,” said Pickett. “It will determine, with the highest level of certainty, that reported winners accurately reflect how voters marked their ballots. This review may also result in suggestions for improving future elections and restoring public confidence in their integrity.”

“Elections are the foundation of our government, and if our citizens cannot trust those elections, they cannot trust their government either,” Owlett said. “Regardless of party affiliation or how your candidate faired in this year’s election, we ALL have a vested interest in ensuring the sanctity and accuracy of our voting process. A non-partisan audit is the best way to achieve this goal.”

The LBFC was selected in part because it is comprised of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate. In addition, the committee will continue to operate while the General Assembly’s 2019-20 session ends at the end of the month. This ensures the audit would not be interrupted even as new members are sworn into office after the new year.

While the Department of State does conduct an audit of every election, which is based on samples, the LBFC risk-limiting audit would encompass much larger samples and require data sets, much like what was done for an audit report on the 2020 primary election.

House Resolution 1100 does not require the governor’s signature to take effect. At least five other states have announced plans to conduct risk-limiting audits of the election.


Representative Tina Pickett
110th Legislative District 

Representative Clint Owlett
68th Legislative District 
Pennsylvania House of Representatives