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The Pennsylvania Department of State took questions from lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s state House for more than two hours on Thursday, providing insight into the future of elections in the state.
Secretary Al Schmidt, the department’s head, answered inquiries from state representatives alongside his deputies as part of the House Appropriations Committee’s 2026 budget hearings.
Questions spanned a slew of election administration topics, from when the state’s new voter management system will be ready to how artificial intelligence is changing elections.
Here are three takeaways from the hearing. The full hearing can be viewed on the House’s YouTube channel.
SURE upgrade will not be ready by 2026
Multiple lawmakers asked Schmidt for an update on the state’s project to upgrade the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, the state’s database of registered voters.
Last March, the department announced it had entered into a $10.6 million contract with Louisiana-based technology company Civix to upgrade the system after a previous project was scrapped.
State Rep. Ann Flood, a Northampton County Republican, asked Schmidt where the project stands and if it would be ready in time for 2026.
Schmidt said the new system “will certainly not be in place by 2026” but did not provide an exact release date.
“We would never release a system to make available for such an important purpose that is anything less than as good as it could be,” he said.
The department did not provide a copy of the project plan, which includes an implementation schedule, when Votebeat and Spotlight PA requested it last week, but Schmidt has previously said it would be fully implemented by 2028.
Lawmakers question timing of special elections
State Rep. Jamie Barton, a Schuylkill County Republican, also asked Schmidt about the scheduling of special elections. A Votebeat analysis recently found that, since 2017, Pennsylvania has held more special elections than any other state.
“Do you think, Secretary Schmidt, the speaker of the House should make a stronger attempt to schedule special elections during a [primary] or general election in order to save vital taxpayer dollars?” Barton asked.
Special elections for the Pennsylvania legislature are often scheduled on days other than the regularly scheduled primary and general Election Day, and the department is required to reimburse counties for costs associated with those elections. This has cost the state more than $4.4 million since 2017. For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the department is asking for $400,000 to reimburse counties for these elections.
But Schmidt didn’t weigh in on the issue, noting that the timing of special elections is up to the state legislature, not his department.
“For us, our role and responsibility is to oversee elections and assist counties in the administration of elections,” he said. “It is really up to the legislature and the law to determine when they should take place.”
AI poses opportunities and risks for elections
State Rep. Ben Waxman, a Philadelphia Democrat, bemoaned a recent experience he had collecting nomination petition signatures when an AI-powered doorbell rebuffed his attempt to reach a voter at their home. He asked Schmidt what effect AI is having on elections.
Schmidt said it has been challenging to keep up with the rapid development of AI but that it could have both positive and negative effects for election administration.
On the downside, it has the prospect of creating “significant harm” if it is used to generate false statements or videos attributed to candidates. At the same time, it could also be a useful tool for voter education.
“But whether it has reached that level of maturity or not, I don’t know,” Schmidt said. He seemed to suggest a cautious approach to adopting new technologies, saying, “We can never be wrong. It can never tell the voter the wrong day of the election.”
Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org.
