What is SURE?

Act 3 of 2002 directs the Department of State to implement the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE), a centralized voter registration and election management system designed to assure the accuracy and integrity of the Commonwealth's voter registration records maintained by the election authorities of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

The voter registry is the platform that supports every critical function of the election system—from determining voter eligibility to assigning precincts to producing district registers. A centralized, uniform statewide registry, as opposed to a collection of disparate county level voter files, greatly enhances overall accuracy and integrity of the voter roll, and the resulting quality of voter services. By placing all Pennsylvania counties on a common software platform:

• Duplicate registrations among county files will be presented to county election officials for resolution
• When registered voters move across county lines, their existing records and voting history will be identified to election officials for transfer to the new county of residence
• External agency transactions which affect voter eligibility, from PENNDOT and the Department of Health (DOH), will be centrally integrated with SURE and electronically forwarded to county officials and
• Voter roll maintenance programs will operate on a consistent statewide basis to remove "deadwood", keeping the registry up to date, protecting against potential voter fraud, and promoting consistency among counties in their data management practices.