Court Grants Public Access To Voting Data

April 29, 2026 4:48 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s high court has ruled that spreadsheets of raw data from ballots are public records. The Democratic-majority court’s decision on Tuesday provides access to what are known as “cast vote records.” The justices say their decision helps assure the public that elections are safe, secure, and accurate while keeping individual votes secret. Lycoming County elections officials had denied access to digital copies from the 2020 presidential election. The court clarified that these records are not physical ballots but spreadsheets of raw data. The high court said it was only ruling on the issue in one Pennsylvania county and said it was possible other counties do not sufficiently randomize their election data.