In the United States, a major county prosecutor in Pennsylvania announced on Friday that they have uncovered a large-scale election fraud scheme, where individuals collected fraudulent voter registration applications at shopping centers and other locations.
Heather Adams, a Republican and the prosecutor of the Lancaster District, stated during a press conference on Friday that detectives found about 60% of the approximately 2,500 voter registration applications submitted to the county election office in the past few days showed signs of fraud.
These applications were submitted to the county election commission office shortly before the deadline this Monday.
It is believed that the fraudulent voter registrations are linked to a large-scale voter registration drive, dating back as early as June, Adams said. Observers noticed that many applications appeared to have the same handwriting and were filled out on the same day.
Signs of fraud detected by detectives included inaccurate addresses listed on the applications, false personal identification information, and fake names. Additionally, names on the applications did not match the provided Social Security details, she said.
Adams mentioned that these applications were submitted in batches to the election office, some of which were for previously registered voters, but the signatures on the documents did not match those on file in the county.
Detectives conducted an investigation and identified applications that used fake names, false identification documents, and forged signatures.
Some applications used real names of voters with accurate addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security numbers, but when contacted by detectives, the individuals listed on the forms stated they did not request or fill out the forms and verified that the signatures were not theirs.
Adams stated that these applications have been confirmed to violate laws related to voter registration. Under Pennsylvania state law, forging a voter registration application is considered a third-degree felony, which can carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Violating election laws can result in penalties, including a 10-year suspension of voting rights.
The prosecutor mentioned that her office is investigating the case and declined to provide further details. However, she added that she is aware of at least two other counties investigating similar occurrences of fraudulent applications.
Pennsylvania is one of the key swing states in the 2024 election, and Lancaster, located in the central-southern part of the state, is an influential county and a residential area of interest for both parties, including the Amish population.
Historically a Republican stronghold, Lancaster County saw former President Trump leading Hillary by 20 percentage points in 2016 and had a lead over President Biden by 16 points in 2020.
However, with Lancaster city at its core, Democrats have made gains in recent years, capturing two state House seats, and Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro lost the county by only 1 percentage point in the 2022 campaign.
Democratic Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder urged residents to vote. She mentioned that all registration applications, except those deemed fraudulent, will be processed and entered into the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System.
Officials are urging residents with concerns or suspicions about potential misuse of personal information to contact the Lancaster County District Attorney’s office and check their voter registration on the state website.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office, responsible for overseeing elections, praised Lancaster County for its swift action.
In a statement, the office said it had been in contact with Lancaster County and is providing support for the ongoing investigation.
The statement emphasized that in cases like this, the department’s guidance is for counties to immediately contact law enforcement, as Lancaster County officials did.
“As demonstrated by the efforts of the county, there are multiple safeguards in place to ensure the integrity of our elections, and the people of Pennsylvania can trust that the November election will be safe, secure, free, and fair,” the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office said.
As of Thursday, the county had 365,210 registered voters, about 11,000 higher than the record set in 2020.