Reiterates Safeguards Protecting Integrity, Security of Election
HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of the
Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortes today refuted allegations plaintiffs made
about the department during a Commonwealth Court hearing.
Lawyers for the Department of State today argued that the commonwealth
is fully compliant with state and federal laws, including the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA).
"The plaintiffs continue to seek solutions that are already in place,"
Cortes said. "The Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors is already working
properly, and county election officials remain committed to processing
every valid application in a timely and efficient manner.
"Furthermore, the counties have been clearly informed about first-time
voter identification requirements and they have been advised to have
sufficient provisional ballots on Election Day.
"We continue to work very closely with all 67 county boards of
elections to ensure that they are prepared to facilitate an election that
is fair, accurate and accessible," Cortes said. "That includes our guidance
about potential voter turnout, the recommended number of voting machines,
and the need for enough provisional ballots."
Dave Coder, who is president of the County Commissioners Association of
Pennsylvania and is a Greene County Commissioner, was also critical of the
litigation filed against the Department of State.
"The suggestion is baseless and, frankly, insulting that we are doing
anything less than meeting the full requirements of the Election Code and
federal law," Coder said in a press release issued by the association. "All
of us at the county level - commissioners, election staff, and poll workers
- understand the significance of our responsibility, and have demonstrated
historically that we fulfill that role with absolutely determination."
In the same statement, CCAP Executive Director Douglas E. Hill affirmed
the functionality of the SURE System.
"With the huge volume of new voter registrations this year, counties
have taken the steps necessary to enter all of the information in the SURE
system, which includes following proper procedures to do cross-checks,"
said Hill. "Our expectation this year, as we experienced in the last
several elections in which we relied on the SURE system, is that the voter
registration information we rely on at the polling place will be complete
and accurate."
The SURE System continues to be used by the counties to process
applications. Last week, nearly 105,000 voter registration applications
were outstanding. Today, there are fewer than 20,000 to be processed, with
only a handful of counties still needing to process applications.
Three of the primary safeguards, Cortes said, are the database that
helps stop fraud before it even has the chance to start; the laws that
require voter identification and signature verification; and the laws that
criminalize voter fraud.
"Voter fraud is a serious crime, and we continue to encourage all
counties, organizations and individuals to bring suspected fraud directly
to the attention of appropriate law enforcement agencies."
SURE prevents voter fraud through a system of checks that verifies an
applicant's driver's license or Social Security number. Since the 2007
General Election, SURE has rejected more than 200,000 applications for
various reasons, most of which were duplicate registrations.
"At a time when there is much to applaud about how Pennsylvania and its
election officials and are preparing for this exciting and historic
election," Cortes said, "it is unfortunate that so many of our county
officials are being attacked by such low confidence from their own party."
According to the Department of State, nearly 60 percent of county
boards of commissioners or council members have Republican majorities.
CONTACT: Leslie Amoros
Rebecca Halton
(717) 783-1621
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State
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Related links:
http://www.state.pa.us
CONTACT:
Leslie Amoros or Rebecca Halton,
+1-717-783-1621, both of Pennsylvania Department of State
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