Incoming Republican election commissioner in Suffolk calls new voting machines 'a great fit'

Erin McTiernan moved one step closer Thursday to becoming the new Republican commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections as the board prepares to usher in a new voting era in 2026.

The Suffolk County Legislature’s Ways & Means Committee unanimously adopted a resolution to appoint McTiernan, 41, of Port Jefferson, to the new role. The full legislature can formally sign off on the appointment at Wednesday’s general meeting.

McTiernan, a deputy commissioner, will succeed current Commissioner Betty Manzella, who resigned effective Sept. 8. McTiernan will begin the top role alongside Democratic Commissioner John Alberts as the board transitions voters to new touch screen machines next year.

McTiernan said in an interview that the county’s Board of Elections will be using the current paper ballot Dominion machines in November’s general election before switching next year to a touch screen ExpressVote XL machine made by Election Systems & Software.

"We looked at all different machines," McTiernan said. "It wasn’t just the ones we got — ES&S. But we do feel this was a great fit for Suffolk County."

In March, the legislature allocated nearly $35 million to the county’s Board of Elections to purchase new voting machines. The commissioners had told lawmakers the current machines were more than 15 years old and beyond their shelf life.

McTiernan said the machines are equipped to handle the statewide even-year election change that will add more races to a general election. She said the board plans an extensive public outreach campaign to educate voters.

"We will be going into town halls, libraries, so that the voters can get a feel for the machine in person," she said. "We’ll be doing demos and sending out mailers and using social media as a tool to make sure the voters are ready to use those machines and are educated."

In March, the board piloted the ES&S machine during a special election, which McTiernan oversaw, for a council seat in Southampton Town. No additional pilot was conducted during the June primary.

The ES&S machines have drawn criticism from voter advocacy groups who argue they are unreliable, too costly and inefficient.

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning barcodes in federal elections, which could impact the use of the ExpressVote XL machines. Critics have argued that voters cannot verify their choices on barcodes generated by the machines. ES&S, however, says the machine "produces a voter-verifiable paper record that is scanned, tabulated and saved for auditing purposes."

McTiernan said the contract with ES&S includes "safeguards" to account for legislative action or litigation.

Committee members did not ask any questions before adopting the appointment resolution.

"I think given the fact that you’ve been there for six years, you’ve been the acting commissioner, you’re more than qualified," said Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), who chairs the committee.

McTiernan officially begins the new role Sept. 8, pending final approval, and the term expires Dec. 31, 2026.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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