No Corrective Actions Were Taken
Many articles have been written over the past year about the deficiencies in the Chester County Voter Services Department and the potential risks to county elections. Additionally, county residents have expressed concerns to the county commissioners with public comments during monthly meetings. Yet, no corrective actions were taken to ensure the Chester County elections ran smoothly on November 4th. No, to the contrary, the nation heard about the Chester County election fiasco surrounding the exclusion of 3rd party voters from precinct poll books. What are the issues with the department? What has changed in the last few months? What is Chester County doing in the wake of this election management failure?
Personnel and Management
Our article on May 6, 2025 raised concerns about the management and personnel changes within the Voter Services Department since the hiring of Director Karen Barsoum. We noted the following:
- Increases in personnel;
- Division of responsibilities;
- Increases in budgets;
- 100% personnel turnover rate in 4 years;
- Loss of institutional knowledge.
The high turnover rate and the lack of cross-training in the department should have indicated a looming problem. Was the County CEO, David Byerman, not paying attention? Did the Chairman of the Board of Elections, Josh Maxwell, trust that Director Barsoum knew what she was doing? Where was the oversight?
***NEW*** The county hired a Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for approximately $200,000 per year including benefits, who is now responsible for oversight of public facing departments, including Voter Services. In the few months since her hiring, the CXO has not made any significant changes to the Voter Services Department.
Prothonotary Ballot Issue
Broad + Liberty Op-Ed published May 9, 2025
As discussed in the op-ed published in Broad + Liberty in May, the Chester County Voter Services Department did not include the position of Prothonotary on the 2025 Municipal Primary Election ballot. As a result, voters were not able to choose their party candidates for the position. Instead, the candidates were chosen by the parties, which disenfranchised voters from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Where was the accountability for this mistake? Board of Elections Chairman Josh Maxwell apologized to voters in a public meeting. Who made the mistake and who is ultimately responsible? There was no accountability for this failure.
***NEW*** Former Prothonotary Debbie Bookman was charged by the PA Attorney General with a second degree misdemeanor for misapplication of government property. No further information regarding repercussions for the ballot error could be found.
Training and Election Risks
On August 19, 2025 we published an article discussing the mismanagement of the Chester County Voter Services Department. We informed people that since Karen Barsoum’s hiring, 31 people had vacated the department and 10 had done so since January. Many of those employees took their institutional knowledge with them when they left. Others didn’t even last one year in the department.
We highlighted some of the many functions the department is tasked with completing for safe and secure elections, including:
- Voter Registration Application review and processing;
- Maintaining accurate voter rolls;
- Campaign Finance filing review;
- MIB collection, review, and counting.
We also noted that “without the right personnel training and the proper review of work, any one or more of those functions can be put at risk.” When aspects of the election process are put at risk, then the entire election is at risk.
***NEW*** The total number of employees who left Voter Services is now up to 35 departures! This includes the Poll Worker Coordinator whose last day was the week before Election Day. Also, because of a lack of training and subject matter knowledge, the Campaign Finance Coordinator routinely sent erroneous letters to campaigns claiming filing mistakes and demanded penalties be paid. Complaints ensued and that employee resigned.
Bottom line…
The penultimate sentence of our August 19th article was “Voters deserve secure elections and Chester County’s look to be at risk!” With the number of issues outlined by Keystone Fair Business Partners, Broad + Liberty, and Chester County residents at Commissioners meetings, a blind chimp could have seen the risk to the elections from a mile away. Why did the Chairman of the Chester County Board of Elections, Josh Maxwell, do nothing to remedy departmental concerns or secure county elections? Rather than laud Director Karen Barsoum for running flawless elections, perhaps Maxwell should have heeded the warnings provided by concerned citizens. The results? We have a departmental turnover rate of over 100%, a county race left off the primary ballot, and now voters left out of the poll books on Election Day. Following a thorough investigation as promised by the Chester County Commissioners, accountability must come! When the PA Department of State failed to perform an important aspect of the election process, Secretary Kathy Boockvar resigned. Will Director Karen Barsoum and Chairman Josh Maxwell follow her lead? Don’t bet on it!
As the Constitutional Convention ended in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked if the delegates produced a monarchy or a republic. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
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