A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Tioga County Election Department in Pennsylvania on October 30, 2024. The request, filed by Northern Tier News, a media organization dedicated to comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought detailed information about pre-election voting machine test reports.
The records requested under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law, 65 §66.1 et seq., were asked for in an electronic format and specifically in PDF form. The details sought from these reports included the date of the test, the manufacturer of the machine, the model number of the machine, and the status of the machine—whether it passed or failed its pre-election test.
As representatives of Northern Tier News, we are involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. Access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to our readership. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
We await a response from the Tioga County Election Department regarding this request.
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