A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Berks County Election Department in Pennsylvania on October 30, 2024. The request, filed by us at Berks County News, seeks detailed information about the pre-election testing of voting machines.
In our pursuit of transparency and accountability in local governmental affairs, we requested records under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law. Specifically, we asked for the pre-election test reports of election voting machines in a PDF format.
The details sought in these reports include the date of the test, machine manufacture details, machine model numbers, and their status post-testing - whether they passed or failed. This information is crucial for us to provide comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local elections.
As a media organization dedicated to public service journalism, we believe access to such public records is essential for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
We have also requested a fee waiver for this information based on our role as a media organization disseminating news to the public. We await a response from the Berks County Election Department and will continue to keep our readers informed about developments in this matter.
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