Pennsylvania Secretary of State Stalls DHS Efforts to Expose Noncitizen Voters
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Pennsylvania’s election chief is demanding more information from Homeland Security before acting on alarming evidence of nearly 15,000 noncitizen voters, raising concerns about the state’s commitment to election integrity.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt has written to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, requesting the data sources, dates, and methodology behind the department’s finding that 14,576 noncitizens are registered to vote in Pennsylvania. Rather than immediately addressing this serious threat to election integrity, Schmidt insists the state will not act to remove ineligible voters or protect the system until the information is further substantiated.
This comes after DHS issued a notice that a 'preliminary review' of public registration records uncovered thousands of noncitizen registrations. Despite the urgency, Schmidt has criticized DHS for not disclosing how the number was calculated and has raised doubts about the SAVE database, which is used to verify citizenship status. He cited an audit by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General that found errors in the database, as well as court rulings questioning the legality of the modified SAVE system, further delaying necessary action.
Earlier this month, after President Donald Trump highlighted ongoing concerns about election fraud in a national address, Mullin revealed that DHS had identified 250,000 noncitizen registrations across four states, including Pennsylvania. Yet, instead of cooperating, Schmidt and state officials demand more details and refuse to act. Mullin has rightly warned that states refusing to cooperate with federal efforts to clean up voter rolls could face fines, penalties, or even criminal charges if noncitizens are found to have voted. The reluctance of Pennsylvania’s leadership to act swiftly raises troubling questions about their priorities when it comes to safeguarding the integrity of American elections.