Pennsylvania Secretary of State Challenges Dubious DHS Noncitizen Voter Claims
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Pennsylvania’s top election official is demanding transparency from the Department of Homeland Security after it made unsubstantiated claims about noncitizen voters, refusing to act on data that could threaten the rights of legitimate voters.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt has taken a stand for voter rights and transparency, writing to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday to demand the data sources, dates, and methodology behind the department’s sensational claim that 14,576 noncitizens are registered to vote in the state. Schmidt made it clear that Pennsylvania will not participate in any reckless purges or privacy violations until these allegations are properly substantiated.
This request comes after DHS issued a vague notice citing a so-called 'preliminary review' of public registration records that supposedly uncovered noncitizen registrations. Schmidt pointed out that DHS has failed to explain how it arrived at this figure and highlighted longstanding concerns about the accuracy of the SAVE database, a deeply flawed tool used by the agency to verify citizenship. He referenced an audit by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General that exposed errors in the database, as well as court rulings that have questioned the legality of the modified SAVE system.
The timing of these dubious claims is suspect, coming just after President Donald Trump once again stoked baseless fears about election integrity in a national address. Mullin, echoing Trump’s rhetoric, claimed DHS had identified 250,000 noncitizen registrations across four states, including Pennsylvania, but provided no evidence or details about how this number was reached. Mullin even threatened states with fines, penalties, or criminal charges if noncitizens were found to have voted, a move that could intimidate eligible voters and undermine democracy. Pennsylvania’s demand for transparency is a necessary defense against politically motivated attacks on the right to vote.