This week, Butler County’s elections bureau weighed its options on the type of new system it has been mandated to adopt to replace aging voting machines.

Late last year, Gov. Tom Wolf said that every Pennsylvania county should purchase new voting machines in time for the 2020 election.

Good call. Unfortunately, election officials across the state note that the $15 million allocated by the governor in his budget toward this initiative falls far short of the approximately $125 million to $150 million needed for the upgrade.

A replacement of the state’s voting machines and election infrastructure is overdue. In the 2016 election, Pennsylvania was among 21 states reportedly targeted by Russian hackers.

The state is also one of 14 that doesn’t provide a paper record of votes cast.

Last year, acting Secretary of State Robert Torres set the end of 2019 as a deadline for all counties to comply with a directive to do so.

In a report released last fall, a panel of experts maintained that even if databases and equipment aren’t connected to the Web, it’s still difficult to protect systems from cyber threats.

Now, Butler County is considering several options for its new voting system. The county’s original estimate for a system ranged from $6 million to $8 million, but now might cost only $1 million.

Shari Brewer, director of the county’s Bureau of Elections, said she and the three commissioners have listened to presentations from five vendors.

Options include a paper ballot system with a scanner at each precinct or a ballot-marking device that is similar to the current system, but prints out a paper receipt.

Brewer said both systems are certified through the state, and even if the county chooses an all-paper system, it would still be required to have one ballot-marking device per precinct.

Paper ballots are the cheapest voting option and, some argue, the safest.

Brewer pointed out that the ballot-marking devices, which she said are “pricey,” are also similar to the current system.

In this case, the less expensive and simpler all-paper system is also likely the best option to protect votes.

We agree with Brewer’s assertion that the county should make a decision on which new voting system to purchase in a timely manner to give poll workers enough time to familiarize themselves with the new equipment before the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, Wolf should ensure replacement of the state’s outdated voting machines receives adequate funding. If he doesn’t, then the state legislature should step in to help secure it.