Felice Fein: Chester County voter services — now hiring!

On March 25, 2026, the Chester County Voter Services Director Karen Barsoum notified staff that she is resigning from her position effective June 12, 2026. While Barsoum is publicly stating that she believes it is the right time to find new opportunities to challenge herself, this resignation reeks of a negotiated surrender.

The Chester County Commissioners and the Human Resources Department were warned about management problems in the Voter Services Department for a few years through exit interviews and public comments at County Commissioner and Board of Election meetings.

With each resignation, transfer, or termination that Barsoum’s department accumulated, the suspicions grew about mismanagement leading to the extremely high turnover rate. The number of employees who have left the department since Barsoum’s hiring is 37! Consider that the Voter Services Department is currently budgeted to have 24 employees. They might as well install a revolving door at the entrance to the office!

Keystone Fair Business Partners discussed concerns about the Chester County Voter Services Department several times over the last year:

• May 6, 2025 – employee turnover & increasing budgets;
• August 19, 2025 – election security concerns due to a drain of institutional knowledge;
• November 18, 2025 – was the 2025 General Election polling book fiasco impacting 12,000 third-party or unaffiliated voters a result of ignored warnings?;
• December 9, 2025 – election investigation commencing & mismanagement;
• January 27, 2026 – election investigation findings.

As noted in the January 27th article, perhaps the most significant finding from the 2025 election investigation was this:

Investigators believe the crux of the problem stemmed from high employee turnover, poor initial and cross-training of employees, and ineffective departmental procedures.

Investigators answered the question that we asked in November – were the election problems the result of ignored warnings? The unequivocal answer is YES!

At the February 3, 2026 Board of Elections meeting, where the investigative findings were discussed, there was public outcry from voters for accountability. Specifically, a number of people called for the firing of the Director of Voter Services, Karen Barsoum, including at least two former long-time department employees.

Since Chester County Commissioner and Chairman Josh Maxwell routinely and publicly praised Ms. Barsoum for her excellence, it would reflect poorly on Maxwell’s own management abilities if the commissioners held Director Barsoum accountable by firing her. Her negotiated resignation was the only way for him to save face.

Chester County is trying to hire a new Director of Voter Services to assume the role following the 2026 Primary Election. Given the status of the department, this job will be an uphill climb to rebuild the staffing and knowledge base that existed for decades. The offered salary may not be enough to entice someone with the needed skillset to pull off that feat. 

However, the bigger problem that faces the county is the trust that voters now lack in their elections, systems, and personnel. No money in the world can buy that back. Only time and full transparency can improve public trust. 

Felice Fein is the Executive Director of Keystone Fair Business Partners, a 501c6 membership organization supporting the shared interests of its members as it educates southeastern Pennsylvania with facts about issues and policies that impact local businesses and families.