Pennsylvania’s motor voter system is set to undergo a comprehensive audit following concerns over noncitizens potentially being registered to vote. State Auditor General Timothy DeFoor announced the audit after increasing scrutiny on the integrity of Pennsylvania’s voter registration process, particularly focusing on the Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) role in maintaining the system.
The audit, which will examine records from January to June 2024, was prompted by a long-standing issue where noncitizens applying for driver’s licenses were mistakenly registered to vote. This problem dates back to at least 2017, when it was first discovered that PennDOT’s system allowed noncitizens to register during routine interactions with the agency, such as when applying for a license. According to records, over 628,000 noncitizens hold either a driver’s license or a non-driver identification card in the state, raising concerns that some may have been erroneously added to voter rolls.
An error in Oregon DMV's automatic voter registration process resulted in 300 noncitizens being registered as voters.https://t.co/or0VDTLk9G
— KATU News (@KATUNews) September 17, 2024
The audit aims to determine whether PennDOT’s systems are effectively preventing noncitizens from being added to the voter registration database. Additionally, it will assess whether the voter registration interface used by PennDOT complies with both state and federal election laws, including the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The inquiry comes as Pennsylvania prepares for the 2024 election cycle, though officials have stated that the results of the audit will not affect this year’s elections. The audit process is expected to take several months, with PennDOT given 120 days to respond to any findings. The final report may not be available until early 2025, well after the upcoming presidential election.
🚨Oregon County Clerks have raised an alarm that Oregon’s Motor Voter registration program which automatically registers citizens to vote through the DMV has been erroneously registering non-citizens to vote.
Oregon is entirely a vote-by-mail state.https://t.co/GCpHKBOHgl
— HEATHER C. (@Heatherc_77) September 16, 2024
Automatic voter registration has been a hotly debated issue in Pennsylvania, with concerns that the system’s opt-out process may confuse individuals, particularly those who are not proficient in English. Critics argue that some noncitizens may not fully understand the prompts asking if they are U.S. citizens and could inadvertently be registered to vote.
In response to these concerns, election integrity groups such as Verity Vote and the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) have pushed for greater transparency and accountability in Pennsylvania's voter registration processes. PILF, in particular, has been at the forefront of legal efforts to obtain voter registration records and has litigated to access documents related to noncitizens on voter rolls.Their efforts have revealed over 1,160 instances where noncitizens were registered to vote and later requested removal from the rolls.
Election integrity advocates, like Cleta Mitchell of the Election Integrity Network, warn that the current voter registration framework, particularly under the Biden administration’s directives for federal agencies to assist in voter registration efforts, could further exacerbate the issue. Mitchell and others argue that federal mandates, coupled with state systems like Pennsylvania's, create conditions ripe for noncitizens to be mistakenly registered.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania officials maintain that they are taking steps to ensure the integrity of their voter rolls. PennDOT has yet to comment on the audit but is expected to cooperate fully with the Auditor General’s office. The results of this audit could have wide-reaching implications not only for Pennsylvania but for other states grappling with similar challenges.
