WASHINGTON, Pa. — A topic that has been popular at all of the most recent Washington County Commissioners meetings has been the effort by a bloc of Washington County residents to have a ballot question on this November’s General Election ballot asking residents if they wish to continue using electronic voting machines in the county. Commissioners put that idea to rest by having County Commissioners Solicitor Jana Grimm answer why there cannot be a question like that on any ballot. In a prepared statement, Grimm pointed to federal law under the Help America Vote Act that requires the adoption of electronic voting machines. She pointed to several Pennsylvania decisions from the Supreme Court and Commonwealth Court that denied similar campaigns. She stated that a ballot question like this would serve no legal purpose and be non-binding, serving only and advisory purpose. Grimm went on to point out that even if commissioners wished to entertain the request, petitions signed by county residents fell well short of the number needed to be considered. Only 4032 signatures were presented to the elections office and fell 1161 signatures short of the 5193 signatures goal. Proponents wished to have another 2000 plus signatures presented in July added to the total but Grimm pointed out that they contained material defects that would not allow them to be counted as legitimate signatures. Ashley Duff, the driving force behind the petition campaign did not attend the meeting. Other proponents of the measure did not wish to comment. In County business, commissioners entered into a provider agreement with Blueprints to administer the Pennsylvania State Emergency Assistance Program Covid-19 grant. The more than $6.4 million grant will provide rental and utility assistance from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2025.