The person drops the card to the postcard on October 15, 2024 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. (Photo Hannah Beier/Getty Images)
This article was Originally published By VathbeatNon -information organization covering the local election administration and access to voting.
The US Department of Justice asks Pennsylvania for a wide range of information on how it manages the registration of voters and casting voters, as part of what he calls “nationwide efforts” in order to monitor compliance with the key federal voting act.
IN Letter from June 23 to the secretary of Pennsylvania Commonwealth al SchmidtThe department asked for 14 categories of information on the registration activities of voters, including the way voters are added and removed from the fate of voters, and how the state prevents unauthorized access to its system.
Valbeat and Spotlight Pa received a copy of the letter, which was signed by Maureen Riordan, a up-to-date head of the voting section at the Department of Citizenship of the Department of Justice.
The letter is the latest in a series of applications that the Civil Rights Department sent to countries related to their compliance with federal voting laws. This in particular cites the Act on Help America Vouse or Hava, Law from 2002 He browses the registration of voters and election administration.
Riordan asked for an answer within 30 days. Amy Gulli, spokeswoman for the State Department in Pennsylvania, said that the agency intended to answer, but she had not done it from Wednesday.
David Becker, an election lawyer who had previously worked at the Department of Citizenship, and now runs the Non -Pro -Pro -Pro -Pro -Provision Center for Innovation and Election Research, noted that almost all requests for information that mentioned the specific sections of Hava were listed to justify them, except that the state uses to identify and remove people who do not delete voter nations.
“This is because there is no one, and there is no jurisdiction to ask for this data,” he said in a text message.
Becker said that the request did not raise any specific fears otherwise.
Electoral officials in Arizona, Colorado and Wisconsin also received letters from the Department of Justice, each of which has a different set of applications or allegations.
Letter Posted in May to the Secretary of State Arizona Adrian Fontes claimed that the state did not properly verify the identity of voters, in accordance with Hava’s requirements, and threatened the lawsuit, Valbbeat reported in June. Fontes, Democrat, replied These state election officials carry out full control of stay and citizenship and fully follow Hava.
Letter from the beginning of June Posted to Wisconsin Electoral Commission He said that the state did not actually terminate administrative complaints in accordance with Hava’s requirements; The Commission rejects Hava’s complaints, which relate to the Agency’s own actions, based on the opinion of the Supreme Court in Wisconsin in 2022 Colorado He received a letter from the department in May Asking Colorado for “all records” related to elections in 2024 in response to the complaint received by the Department.
The Department of Justice also He recently sued North Carolina over the allegations that the exact list of voters could not be maintained in accordance with the requirements of Hava and Defendant Orange County in CaliforniaIn connection with the alleged lack of providing some entries related to the removal of non -portion from his voters’ rollers.
The letter to Pennsylvania does not mention any complaint or claims that the state has done something bad. “We very much appreciate your cooperation in our national efforts to monitor Hava’s compliance,” he concludes.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice refused to comment.
The New York Times Reported On July 2, that senior officials in the Department of Justice investigate whether they may criminal electoral officials for insufficient protection of computer systems.
Carter Walker is a Valbeat reporter in cooperation with Spotlight Pa. Contact Carter at the address cwalker@votebeat.org.
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