Ahead Of 2020 Elections, Pa. Senate Moves To Delay Replacing Voting Machines

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's Senate is moving to delay the state's decertification of voting machines in expectation of replacing them all by 2020's presidential elections.

The Republican-controlled chamber passed the bill Tuesday on a near party-line basis, more than a year after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf began pushing for new machines.

That followed warnings by federal authorities that Russian hackers targeted Pennsylvania and at least 20 other states during 2016's presidential election.

Republican senators have complained that Pennsylvania is rushing to buy machines at considerable taxpayer expense when there's no legitimate example of a voter irregularity in the state.

Pennsylvania is one of 13 states where some or all voters use machines that store votes electronically without printed ballots or another paper-based backup that allows voters to double-check how their vote was recorded.