HARRISBURG — While county commissioners continue working out the details of the switch to a paper ballot voting system, several state legislators gathered Tuesday in Harrisburg to emphasize the importance of paper ballots and advocate for an increase in funding for the initiative.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, and members of the state government committee hosted the conference Tuesday morning, arguing that the switch to paper protects voter rights and minimizes the potential for foreign interference.

Counties statewide are buying new voting systems that allow for paper ballots after an order from Gov. Tom Wolf last year directed counties to get new voting systems from a state-certified vendor that includes a paper ballot.

At Tuesday's event, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a retired intelligence officer, advocated for the state to switch to paper ballots to prevent foreign meddling.

Shaffer said it's clear that Russia made a significant effort to upend American elections, although he rejected any notions that it had a particular candidate in mind.

“They have no particular interest in an outcome other than chaos,” he said.

The best way to prevent this chaos, Shaffer said, is to move away from digital ballots, allowing the state to have an auditable paper trail that could not be vulnerable in the way current systems might be. He advocated moving away from the digital voting machines as quickly as possible.

“I know it's a tough issue,” Shaffer said. “It's tough to find money.”

But foreign countries won't stop trying to interfere, Shaffer said, and swing states like Pennsylvania are too important to leave vulnerable. “The Keystone State (is) a key state in the coming elections,” he said.

Shaffer argued that not enough money has been put toward solving the problem.

“What is the safety of (the citizens') vote worth?” he asked. “I'd argue it's worth a lot more than $75 million over five years.”

State government committee Chairman Garth Everett, R-84th, agreed.

Everett said he considers himself a fiscal conservative, but election security needs to be funded.

Metcalfe closed the conference by saying he wants to see the state legislature take a greater role in election security. He called on county governments to work with the legislature on getting reforms passed.

“It's one of our primary responsibilities,” he said. “So, let's get the job done.”

Metcalfe said he believes it's the state legislature's job to mandate election changes, not the governor's.

Butler County officials, meanwhile, are working toward making the switch, with county commissioners recommending the purchase of a paper ballot voting system earlier this month.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel said he's very happy with the decision to go to paper ballots and that officials hope to have everything up and running for the fall election.

“We're really striving to have it (ready) for November,” Boozel said. “Who wants to go into a presidential (election in 2020) with a system that hasn't been tried before?”

Still, with the governor only proposing enough money to fund part of the purchase, officials are working to make the best fiscal decision.

This means taking into account both the cost of the system as well as the cost of maintenance over its estimated 10-year life span.

“I want to know every single dime we're going to spend before we sign the contract,” Boozel said. “For planning purposes, we need to plan a 10-year life cycle.”

This could mean putting money away in future budgets to ensure any unexpected expenses would be easily paid for, he said.

The money provided by the state so far only represents a fraction of the cost, Boozel said, leaving much of the financial and logistical responsibilities up to the county.

“You can't count on the state, can't count on the feds to buy them. If you need them, you'll have to buy them,” he said. “One of the great things we do in county government is making sure the election goes well.”