voter registration Archives - The Pennsylvania Daily Star

Conservative Organization Investigating Biden Admin’s ‘Partisan’ Voter Registration Push in Key Swing State

July 11, 2024 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) launched an investigation Wednesday into a Biden administration program aimed at registering voters in a key swing state, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

AFPI is demanding documents from the Biden administration regarding the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) voter registration efforts in Michigan, an operation it suspects could disproportionately benefit Democrats in November’s election, the organization exclusively told the DCNF. The SBA’s voter registration operations in Michigan are part of Executive Order 14019, which compels federal agencies to develop a plan to promote voter engagement and participation, sparking concerns from some conservatives that public funds may be used to help Democrats in the looming general election.

Left-Leaning Groups Sue GOP-Led States over Voter Registration Drive Laws, Despite Fraud Concerns

June 1, 2024May 31, 2024 Just the News

Left-leaning organizations are suing Republican-led states over voter registration drive laws, despite the concerns of state legislatures about voter fraud.

As states are focusing more on implementing stricter guidelines on third-party voter registration groups, several liberal-leaning organizations are suing over the laws, arguing that the restrictions violate the U.S. Constitution. However, numerous investigations have been conducted over the recent years because of voter registration fraud.

Pennsylvania Democrats Lose Voters to Republicans, See Lower Gains Despite Automatic Voter Registration

May 20, 2024 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Voter registration reveals Republicans continue to gain ground in Pennsylvania, with Democrats losing a number of registered voters to the opposing party, a Monday report citing Pennsylvania Department of State data.

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania (PAGOP) between the end of March and May 13, gained 10,152 new registered voters, according to Politics PA.

Pennsylvania Democrats Lose Voters to Republicans, See Lower Gains Despite Automatic Voter Registration

May 14, 2024 Tom Pappert

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania (PAGOP) between the end of March and May 13, gained 10,152 new registered voters, according to Politics PA.

Dem Voter Registration Dips in Crucial Swing States Ahead of 2024

April 13, 2024 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Three crucial battleground states have experienced a drop in Democratic voter registration since late 2020 and ahead of a November rematch with former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, election data shows.

Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — which saw some of the closest presidential elections last cycle — all currently have less registered Democratic voters overall than in late 2020, according to the most recent state records. While Democrats still lead Republicans in party registration, the margins in these states are much smaller than before.

Dem-Aligned ‘States Project’ Drops Millions to Change Laws in Swing States

September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

The States Project, a Democrat-aligned group, spent $60 million across five swing states last year as part of an effort to proliferate liberal policies, The New York Times reported.

The group focuses on getting Democrats elected to state legislatures and aids them once elected in order to get more liberal policies passed, according to its website. The States Project’s is a joint initiative between PAC For America’s Future, which receives funding from George Soros’ Democracy PAC, and Future Now Action, a 501c4 dark money group that does not disclose its donors, according to the organization’s website.

Commentary: Voter Registration ‘Charities’ Are a Massive, Overlooked Scandal

September 19, 2023September 18, 2023 RealClearWire

“Nonprofit voter registration” doesn’t sound interesting. Yet nonprofit voter registration, or the use of tax-exempt charitable organizations to conduct and fund voter registration drives, is one of the most important and underreported political scandals of our time.

Nonprofit voter registration, and the get-out-the-vote (GOTV) activities that usually accompany it, have become the heart of a billion-dollar industry in America. According to Candid’s Foundation Funding for U.S. Democracy database, since 2011 nearly 60,000 grants have been made for “Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout” and “Civic Participation,” benefitting 15,000 different organizations to the tune of $5.9 billion dollars.

Voter Data-Sharing System Issues Dominate Schmidt’s Pennsylvania Senate Confirmation Hearing

May 25, 2023May 24, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

At Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt’s initial confirmation hearing on Wednesday, many senators inquired about the commonwealth’s participation in a controversial voter data-sharing program.

Schmidt, a moderate Republican former Philadelphia city commissioner who subsequently was president of the left-leaning nonprofit Committee of Seventy, will sit for a second hearing covering non-electoral issues his department oversees (e.g., professional licensure). But Senate State Government Committee Chair Cris Dush (R-Bellefonte) suggested discussion of Pennsylvania’s participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) will come up then as well.

Pennsylvania State Senators Propose Withdrawal from Multi-State Voter-Data System

May 16, 2023May 15, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania State Senators Cris Dush (R-Bellefonte) and Jarrett Coleman (R-Allentown) are preparing legislation to withdraw the commonwealth from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

Over two dozen states and the District of Columbia participate in the election data-sharing system which they use to identify errors in their voter rolls. But seven states — Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri and West Virginia — recently cancelled their membership in the program.

Bill Would Clean Up Pennsylvania Voter-Record Errors

January 2, 2023January 1, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

Over the weekend, Pennsylvania state Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lititz) told colleagues he will reintroduce a measure to clean up his state’s voter rolls.

Concern about the Keystone State’s voter records grew after Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a report in December 2019 alerting lawmakers to copious apparent errors in the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE).

Michigan, Minnesota Among States Democrats Move to Rewrite State Voting Laws After Midterm Wins

December 27, 2022December 26, 2022 Star News Staff

Democrats are moving to implement new voting laws at the state level following their midterm wins, according to The New York Times.

Democratic governors and state legislators have expressed plans to push automatic voter registration, voter pre-registration for minors, an expansion of early and absentee voting and criminalization of election misinformation, according to the NYT. The party retained most of its governors in the 2024 election and maintained its hold over several key state legislatures, creating a clear path to instating many of its favored voting policies.

Colorado Mistakenly Sends Voter Registration Notices to 30,000 Non-Citizens

October 12, 2022October 11, 2022 Just the News

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office mailed voter-registration instructions to roughly 30,000 non-citizens living in the state.

The agency said it is attempting to determine why the registration postcards were sent to people who had non-citizen state driver’s licenses, Colorado Public Radio reported last week.

Watchdog Files Lawsuits in Minnesota over Voter Registration Duplicates, Finds Millions Lacking Required ID

October 10, 2022October 9, 2022 Just the News

With midterm elections a month away, an election integrity watchdog has filed multiple lawsuits in Minnesota over duplicate registered voters while also finding millions of voter registrations in New York missing personal identifying information.

Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative election law nonprofit, filed six lawsuits in Minnesota counties over 515 duplicate registrants. The lawsuits were filed in Nicollet, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Todd and Ramsey counties.

Pittsburgh Schools to Partner with Nonprofit with Ties to Obamas on Student-Led Voting Initiative

September 27, 2022September 26, 2022 The Center Square

Pittsburgh Public Schools is looking to partner with a nonprofit headed by high-level former Obama administration officials to implement a program created by former First Lady Michelle Obama to get students involved in political activities, including voter registration drives.

A critic of the partnership said schools should focus on improving lagging performance, not indoctrinating students.

Pennsylvania’s Latest Mail-In Voting Decision Has Local Officials Scrambling

September 1, 2022August 31, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Pennsylvania authorities contentiously combined voter registration and mail-in ballot applications into one document this month, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the latest in a series of disputed election-related policies.

The state’s Department of State issued an updated form Aug. 19 allowing citizens to register to vote and request a mail-in ballot, which had previously required multiple forms, The Federalist reported. Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions Jonathan Marks said this was intended “to simplify the process,” but many county elections officials argued the change occurred without warning and demonstrated a continuing lack of respect for them, according to the Inquirer.

Pennsylvania’s Latest Mail-In Voting Decision Has Local Officials Scrambling

September 1, 2022 Admin

Greater Georgia to Launch Voter Registration for Individuals Impacted by Inflation

April 7, 2022 Cooper Moran

Greater Georgia, a nonprofit focused on voter engagement in the state, announced that they will begin voter registration for individuals in Atlanta that have been impacted by inflation.

The registration drive will center around gas stations in the area, as drivers across the country have felt the weight of record-high gas prices. In addition to gas stations, the group will target grocery stores and gun stores.

One Year After Disputed 2020 Election, Many Practices That Riled Conservatives Still in Effect

January 10, 2022 Admin

Just a year after the disputed 2020 election, states are in various stages of reforming election laws. Many of the same practices that angered conservatives are still in effect.

The Heritage Foundation published an Election Integrity Scorecard of all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their election laws. The scorecard examines voter ID implementation, the accuracy of voter registration lists, absentee ballot management, vote harvesting/trafficking restrictions, access of election observers, verification of citizenship, identification for voter assistance, vote counting practices, election litigation procedures, restriction of same-day registration, restriction of automatic registration, restriction of private funding of election officials or government agencies.

During a Just the News Special Report with Heritage Action for America and Real America’s Voice, HAFA Executive Director Jessica Anderson praised Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Texas for their efforts on election integrity reform this past year. Those states currently rank at no. 19 (tied with Mississippi and Pennsylvania), 4 (tied with Arkansas), 1, 11 (tied with Kentucky), and 6, respectively.