Pennsylvania accused of breaking federal election laws, says watchdog.

An Election Integrity Group Files Complaint Against Pennsylvania Department of State

An election ‌integrity group called PA Fair Elections⁣ has recently filed a ⁣complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Commissions, Elections, and Legislation. The complaint alleges that the Department of State is ⁤violating ‌the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) by not​ requiring overseas voters to provide identification when‌ registering to vote.

HAVA, which was passed in 2002, established minimum election standards for state and local governments in the administration of Federal elections.

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ⁤(UOCAVA), passed by ‍Congress⁣ in 1986, allows absentee ⁤voting ⁢by members of the U.S. military and merchant marine, their family members, and U.S. citizens residing outside the United States. ‍This ⁣includes individuals who have never ⁢lived in the United States and have no intention of ​doing so.⁤ People born overseas to U.S. citizens are also considered U.S. ‌citizens and may be eligible to vote in U.S. ‌elections ⁣in certain ‍states.

The HAVA‍ requires individuals‌ to apply to register to vote, but they are not considered voters​ until the application process is complete.

UOCAVA voters ‌can register​ using the Federal Post Card Application, ⁢which serves as both a voter registration form and an absentee ballot application.

Minimum Voter Registration Requirements

According to HAVA, voter registration⁣ applicants must provide their driver’s ‌license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. The Secretary of State is responsible for⁣ verifying ⁤the applicant’s identity by matching these numbers with official records.

If​ an applicant does not⁢ have a driver’s license or Social Security number, the⁢ state may ​assign a unique number. However,⁤ individuals without these identification numbers cannot vote in a federal election unless they​ provide another document to establish their identity ⁣and eligibility.

Simply put, individuals cannot be considered ⁤voters until they are registered and their identification is⁣ verified.

However, Pennsylvania has been ‍sending ballots to ⁢UOCAVA applicants before verifying​ their identification. In 2018, the Department of State issued guidance stating that voter registrations should not be rejected solely based​ on a⁤ nonmatch‍ between the applicant’s identifying numbers ⁤and the comparison database numbers.

The complaint filed⁣ by PA⁣ Fair Elections argues that this policy violates HAVA’s identification verification and matching requirement. The group is requesting an administrative law judge to order the Department of⁢ State to issue a directive instructing counties to verify the⁤ identity and eligibility of‍ all applicants requesting UOCAVA voting privileges.

It is crucial to ensure that election officials follow federal‍ law and maintain the integrity of⁤ the voting process. PA Fair Elections believes that progressive organizations ​are influencing Pennsylvania election officials to violate the ‍law, potentially opening the system up for election fraud.

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