Hundreds of fraudulent voter registration applications have been received in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The District Attorney’s office is conducting an investigation.
Near Pennsylvania’s voter registration deadline of October 21st, a large number of suspicious voter registration applications were dropped off at the Lancaster County elections office. Applications were received from Columbia, Elizabethtown, Akron, Ephrata, Stevens, and Strasburg.
District Attorney Heather Adams’ office conducted an investigation. The investigation found incorrect addresses, false identification information, and names that did not match Social Security information. Many of the applications seemed to be filled out with the same handwriting.
Unnamed canvassing organizations have been linked to the fraudulent registration applications. The organizations conducted registration drives ahead of election day. District Attorney Adams said that it appeared to be “an organized effort” and noted that the investigation is currently ongoing.
So far, investigators found issues with 60% of the registrations that have been reviewed. Adams did not say how many applications had been investigated. Legitimate applications submitted by the canvassers will be registered.
On Friday, the Department of State issued a statement regarding the matter, saying, “The Department has been in contact with the county and is offering support in its ongoing investigation. The Department applauds the efforts of the election staff for their diligent work in spotting this potential fraud and bringing it to the attention of law enforcement. The Department guidance in cases like this is for counties to immediately contact law enforcement, which is exactly what Lancaster County officials did.”
At a press conference on Friday, officials assured citizens of the integrity of the election in Lancaster County. “Our Lancaster County Elections system is secure. Our systems worked. We will continue to operate with the highest levels of veracity, integrity and transparency so that Lancaster County voters can be confident in our election.”
