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DA investigating alleged voter registration fraud

County Commissioner Ray D’Agostino, second from left, speaks about a voter registration fraud investigation, joined by, from left, Commissioner Alice Yoder, District Attorney Heather Adams and Commissioner Josh Parsons, at the County Government Center on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Lancaster County officials said Friday that thanks to alert Elections Office staff, the county has thwarted a large-scale attempt at voter registration fraud.

An investigation is under way and applications that are patently fraudulent have been identified, District Attorney Heather Adams said at a news conference at the County Government Center in Lancaster. The county is confident the problem has been contained and county voter rolls are secure, the three commissioners, who serve as the Board of Elections, said.

At issue are two batches of voter registration forms, totaling about 2,500 applications in all, that were dropped off at the Elections Office on Friday and Monday.

Staff alerted the Board of Elections that multiple applications in the batches appeared to have been filled out and signed in the same handwriting, Commissioner and Board of Elections Chairman Ray D’Agostino said.

Subsequent examination identified other red flags, including false names, false ID information such as Social Security numbers or driver’s licenses, names that didn’t match IDs and signatures that didn’t match those in the State Uniform Registry of Electors, or SURE, Pennsylvania’s database of voter registration information.

Detectives followed up with individuals named on the applications, who confirmed that they had not filled them out or signed them.

District Attorney Heather Adams, center, comments on the investigation. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Adams said it appears the applications were collected in a large-scale paid canvassing operation that began in June, though most were dated Aug. 15 and later. Canvassers solicited applications in public places at sites countywide: Mostly in Lancaster city but also in Columbia, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Ephrata and elsewhere. Applications were not limited to one party, Democrats or Republicans, D’Agostino said.

The attempt “appears to be an organized effort at this point,” Adams said, but declined to name any group or individuals suspected to be involved. The county is aware of two other counties where it believes similar fraudulent registration activity took place; Adams said they have been notified but declined to name them.

The DA’s office has worked its way through many but not all of the suspect applications, Adams said. So far, about 60% have been determined to be fraudulent. Those that pass muster are being processed as normal, she said.

Anyone who has reason to believe they were invited to register to vote under suspicious circumstances, or who think their personal information may have been collected without their consent, should contact the district attorney’s office, Adams said.

All voters can confirm that their registrations are active and correct on the state’s online voter registration portal, Commissioner Alice Yoder said.

The three commissioners credited the diligent work of the Elections Office staff in identifying the problems and taking appropriate steps. Their efforts should inspire confidence that Lancaster County’s election system is secure, they said.

Friday’s announcement follows two meetings at which the commissioners forcefully rebutted allegations that the Elections Office improperly handled registrations from out-of-state students. D’Agostino and Commissioner Josh Parsons reiterated their earlier statements Friday: That the allegations are baseless and politically motivated, have been thoroughly debunked and should never have been made in the first place.

Fraudulent voter registration, if successful, can pave the way for subsequent voter fraud, Adams said. In this instance, “for all intents and purposes, that’s been stopped.”

“We’ve contained this,” D’Agostino emphasized.

Adams said her office intends to pursue the case and prosecute it fully. Potential crimes include fraud, punishable by up to seven years in jail and $15,000 fine; and Election Code violations, for which penalties can include 10 years of ineligibility to vote.

In a statement, the Pennsylvania Department of State said it is aware of the investigation and is offering its support, and that it applauds the Elections Office staff for flagging potential fraud and taking appropriate steps.

“As the county’s efforts show, multiple safeguards exist to ensure the integrity of our elections, and Pennsylvanians can have confidence that this November’s election will be safe, secure, free, and fair,” it said.