County will consider funding for election security

LOCK HAVEN — Clinton County commissioners were awarded several contracts during their most recent work session, including for election security.

Information about the $3,000 in election security funding authorized by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was presented by Clinton County Voter Registrar Maria Boileau. The deadline for this concession is from March 24th to December 31st, 2025.

According to Boileau, this is a reimbursement grant

“We had talked about security in the Garden Building with our voting machines, but this covers voting equipment, voting processes, voter registration, physical security, cybersecurity and voter education,” Boileau said.

The Board of Elections will meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, to consider a cure policy that would allow the office to make an attempt to contact a voter in the event of a defective ballot, Boileau said.

Defective ballots include ballots that have no valid date on the envelope, no date, or no signature. This is not correcting the ballot itself, just the envelope, she said. Ballots will not be opened at any time.

The working session also included:

— An analysis of the multiple renewals of existing processes and infrastructures.

— The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) transportation agreement plan. This agreement guarantees that students will have transportation so that they can continue to attend their home school, despite situations beyond their control. These plans must be implemented every 3 years.

— A grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), awarded annually. The grant is used to help offset the cost of probation department salaries. It was increased by $7,645 this year. The forecast is that there will be an increase each year.

— A lease for a 9-1-1 tower in Greene Township. This is an existing SBA-owned tower that sits in a position that receives signal from Interstate 80 and through the Sugar Valley. This is the latest agreement to add equipment to additional towers to improve signals in south Clinton County.

– Cleanscapes of Clinton County and the Clinton County Conservation District have partnered to offer their third annual free electronics collection event, held on Saturday, October 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Clinton County Conservation District Building. Clinton County Conservancy in Lamar Township. You must register to drop off items, at cleanscapes-ncpa.com/