Subpoenas Issued for Info on Every Pennsylvania Voter as Part of 2020 Election Probe
Source: Newsweek
A Pennsylvania Senate subcommittee has voted to approve 17 subpoenas for personal information on every voter in the state as part of the Republican-controlled Legislature's investigation into the 2020 election.
On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers voted to subpoena Democratic Governor Tom Wolf's administration for voter records, communication between state and county election officials, and other documents as part of their probe.
The subpoena on voter information will include the last four digits of social security numbers and driver's license numbers of those who voted in last year's presidential election. Pennsylvania law prohibits the public release of that information.
State Republicans also want to know how each person votedby mail or in-person, absentee or provisional ballotand when each ballot was casted, both in the presidential election and May's primary election.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/subpoenas-issued-for-info-on-every-pennsylvania-voter-as-part-of-2020-election-probe/ar-AAOtCjy?li=BB141NW3&ocid=DELLDHP
50 Shades Of Blue
(9,998 posts)Pacifist Patriot
(24,653 posts)And intimidation
SergeStorms
(19,201 posts)As in, "solicitation of donations", and "selling to unaffiliated vendors" type mailing lists.
No one's information had better be used for either of those purposes.
ashredux
(2,605 posts)brooklynite
(94,571 posts)I used to be a Party Committeeman in Philadelphia. You can walk into the local Board of Elections office and request a copy.
ashredux
(2,605 posts) State Republicans also want to know how each person voted
brooklynite
(94,571 posts)The request is not WHO they voted for, but the mechanics of the process (mail in/early/Election Day). As I recall, that's logged in the voter records.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)yet here we are and THAT is not "public record".
AllaN01Bear
(18,226 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)marie999
(3,334 posts)Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)Especially true if the plan is give the info to some unknown vendor.
If I were a PA Dem running for office in a red area, I'd be jumping on this like a dog on a bone. Conservatives are already inclined to be suspicious of invasions of privacy. I'd be out with ads in a NY minute about how Rs are invading your privacy.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)And this is obviously one of the, if not the bluest district in the state, but is a reminder that we have to rally come election time next year and why.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Pa. Republicans are set to subpoena documents and hire a contractor for their 2020 election review"
Pennsylvania Republicans want your driver's license number, date of birth, and other personal info as part of their "election investigation,"
This is a gross abuse of power, plain and simple.
The PA GOP is using the "Big Lie" to contract a sham investigator to look into Pennsylvania's 2020 election results that they believe are fraudulent. This hyper-partisan investigation could result in even more restrictive voting laws that suppress voters of color and circumvent our democracy.
It has been ten months since the 2020 election. President Biden won our state by more than 80,000 votes -- fair and square. Donald Trump is no longer president. Period.
There's so much facing our nation that's more pressing than re-litigating the results of a free and fair election -- the COVID-19 pandemic for one. I'm fighting back to make sure that the power rests with the people -- not with shady politicians and their corrupt agendas. This democracy depends on it.
Misinformation has consequences. We must fight for the truth. If you're with me in the fight to defend our democracy from the PA GOP's wasteful investigation and peddling of falsehoods, sign your name next to mine now.
Thank you,
Dwight
Dwight is an activist congressman, fighting for civil rights, economic opportunity, quality education, and safer neighborhoods. Block by block, he is working to revitalize neighborhoods across Pennsylvania. Chip in today to help power his campaign.
DONATE
Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)nt
Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)The counties know who voted in person, provisional or absentee.
What's problematic is the partial SSN. The last 4 digits is used to verify identity for things like financial information or federal benefits.
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)Why use a subpoena if it isn't necessary?
Bengus81
(6,931 posts)oasis
(49,387 posts)packman
(16,296 posts)Stop this insanity -
This has to be taken to court, I assume
gab13by13
(21,341 posts)gab13by13
(21,341 posts)I still want to know why our DOJ didn't get involved in Arizona and now it is happening in other states. Federal election laws are being broken.
SergeStorms
(19,201 posts)republicans are wasting a shitload of money on these exercises in futility.
You have to look for the silver lining, or it'll drive you stark, raving mad.
Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)and was used by the Rs to create the heavily gerry-mandered congressional districts that were tossed out of the PA supreme court as well as the gerry-mandered state house and senate districts.
While it will be used in the upcoming redistricting process, the 5th vote of redistricting commission is held by former Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, making it less likely the extreme gerry-mandering of past decades will result. The PA supreme court decision should put effective constraints on the new congressional map. Also, the commission is holding open hearings and allowing public submissions of proposed maps.
LiberalArkie
(15,715 posts)If any party has that data, they can create a program to cast ballots in every ones name. In the south they use to use the newspaper obits to cast ballots. Now the states remove the names of the dead from the voter registration rolls.
bucolic_frolic
(43,163 posts)They already have all the information in the voter database
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)It's not just "lip service" to his nutty constituents.
At least Lt. Gov. Fetterman provided a handy explanation -
Link to tweet
TEXT
@JohnFetterman
Republican lawmakers may be the only people in the country who actually want to relive 2020. The election happened 10 months ago. Biden won. Get over it. Stop pissing away taxpayer money.
Andrew Seidman
@AndrewSeidman
Pennsylvania Republicans voted Wednesday to subpoena Gov. Tom Wolfs administration for detailed records of every registered voter in the state, including personal information like the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
https://inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-republicans-subpoena-vote-2020-election-20210915.html
12:05 PM · Sep 15, 2021
Ford_Prefect
(7,901 posts)For a judge to issue such a subpoena the prosecution would have to show probable cause and evidence to support. I think this won't fly in Penna Supreme Court.
It presumes there is cause to believe there is something wrong with how voters are registered and how that is handled during an election. They have ZERO evidence to suppose it. No witnesses either anonymous or otherwise have asserted such. There is no statistical variance to suggest it may have happened. No independent professionals have suggested they see problems with the election to warrant such a review. We only have the assertion of the GOP controlled Penna Senate that they believe this merits examination.
The Penna GOP lost repeatedly in court over this assertion. So rather than go through the courts they have bypassed legal means and gone to the purely political.
The DOJ has every cause to intervene on the part of voters in a federal election. I think someone at division of Civil Rights should be investigating and file a restraining order on behalf of minority voters at the very least.
getagrip_already
(14,751 posts)The legislature has subpoena power, but it can be challenged (just like congressional subpoenas).
Ford_Prefect
(7,901 posts)The legislature has overstepped its authority and subverts the state constitution by so doing. It also violates federal protections as we have seen in the Arizona case.
thenelm1
(854 posts)legislative power. The question becomes, of course, is how Trumpian is the PA judicial system?
Ford_Prefect
(7,901 posts)to bypass the courts on the way to the data.
ancianita
(36,055 posts)Where is the PA law that says a majority in any statehouse can collect data on every state voter? While its pretext is oversight, that claim is really the constitutional challenge of states' rights vs the US Constitution, A1(privacy and anonymity of the vote) and A4 (no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause ).
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)Its the most concrete step the GOP-led legislature has taken to investigate the 2020 election since the top Senate Republican committed to undertaking a review Trump has long demanded.
by Andrew Seidman
Updated an hour ago
Pennsylvania Republicans voted Wednesday to subpoena Gov. Tom Wolfs administration for detailed records of every registered voter in the state, including personal information like the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Its the most concrete step the GOP-led legislature has taken to investigate the 2020 election since the top Senate Republican committed last month to undertaking a review that former President Donald Trump has long demanded as part of his campaign to discredit the results. Democrats said they will challenge the subpoena in court, blasting the inquiry as a fishing expedition and raising concerns about sharing millions of voters personal information with an outside vendor that hasnt yet been selected.
Republicans on the state Senate panel that wrote the subpoena said the documents theyre requesting would help show whether any fraud was committed in Pennsylvania, a state President Joe Biden won by more than 80,000 votes. There have been questions regarding the validity of people... who have voted, whether or not they exist, Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson), the committees chairman, said during a contentious 75-minute hearing. Were not responding to proven allegations. We are investigating the allegations to determine whether or not they are factual. If the investigation uncovers problems with the voter registration system, Dush said, the legislature has a responsibility to pass a bill to prevent that from happening in future elections.
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D., Bucks) responded: There have been allegations about last years elections. I understand that. Theyve been proven to be without merit. Why do we now need this information? Theres no evidence to support Trumps baseless claims of election rigging, which were roundly rejected by courts and which fueled the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. County and state audits found no issue with the results in Pennsylvania. Democrats said only the executive branch not the Senate has the authority to conduct the kind of investigation Republicans are undertaking. State Sen. Anthony Williams (D., Philadelphia), the top Democrat on the committee, called the subpoena a pure, unadulterated power grab meant to suppress voters rights.
Dush said hes in the process of interviewing contractors and will consult with Senate GOP lawyers to determine which materials will be shared with third parties. He said hes also considering hiring outside counsel. The costs will be paid by taxpayers, out of the Senates budget, Dush said.The subpoena to be issued to the Department of State, which oversees elections seeks lists of all registered voters and nonpublic information such as drivers license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, as well as publicly available records like dates of birth and addresses. It also requests information about whether voters cast ballots in person or by mail both last fall and in the May 2021 primary election; all changes to voter records between May 2020 and May 2021; communications between state and county elections officials during that same time period; guidance and directives regarding the administration of elections; and training materials for election workers.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-republicans-subpoena-vote-2020-election-20210915.html
Here is a PDF of the document from the State Senate Committee of the requested info - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21062797/pennsylvania-senate-intergovernmental-operations-committee-document-list.pdf
Corman removed Mastriano and replaced him with Dush because Mastriano didn't "code talk" it right.
Tommymac
(7,263 posts)AS many times as we have to.
These over reaches are just making independents more apt to vote against the Qanoner's in 2022.
And making SURE the Democratic base is angry enough to turn out in droves.
Gerrymandering or not, turn out and support from Independents are the keys to ANY election.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)Link to tweet
TEXT
@GovernorTomWolf
It's shameful how far Republicans will go to entertain conspiracy theories and undermine election security.
This is another reckless use of taxpayer money to perpetuate a lie and it must stop.
I will continue to fight any effort to destabilize our election system.
KDKA
@KDKA
ELECTION AUDIT: Pennsylvania Republicans are planning to subpoena records that detail who voted, driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, and if someone voted by mail or in-person in regard to the 2020 election. https://cbsloc.al/3CcRMuP
10:56 AM · Sep 15, 2021
The somewhat "nonchalant" responses from the Governor and Lt. Governor suggest someone is "on it".
malthaussen
(17,195 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)Link to tweet
TEXT
@JohnFetterman
Republican lawmakers may be the only people in the country who actually want to relive 2020. The election happened 10 months ago. Biden won. Get over it. Stop pissing away taxpayer money.
Andrew Seidman
@AndrewSeidman
Pennsylvania Republicans voted Wednesday to subpoena Gov. Tom Wolfs administration for detailed records of every registered voter in the state, including personal information like the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
https://inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-republicans-subpoena-vote-2020-election-20210915.html
12:05 PM · Sep 15, 2021
He hasn't posted anything about it since (so far) but did pin that tweet.
In fact, they all went "radio silent" which suggests to me case-filing/litigation is underway (plus today many are observing Yom Kippur).
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,767 posts)Big government releasing personal info on individual voters?
This is the kind of thing that should be terrifying to conservative voters.
hadEnuf
(2,190 posts)All of their big government crap has been a decades-long ruse.
Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)Rs/conservatives don't want "government" collecting private info like SSNs.
hadEnuf
(2,190 posts)And they have been every time they have been in power. They just don't want information about themselves collected. Everyone else is fair game.
Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)PA Dems need to jump on this right away to frame the issue just as you describe it. Conservatives will go nuts.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)of course. Private companies compile and sell them to the parties. Part of the $Bs costs of electing a president, achieving congressional majorities, or getting control of a state government.
It probably could be useful to the GOP to know such things as who in a particularly key district voted early or at the last moment, who acted to restore a canceled registration and who didn't. Etc.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)from the Inquirer article (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21062797/pennsylvania-senate-intergovernmental-operations-committee-document-list.pdf
2) A copy of each and every version of all directives, guidance(s), policies, or procedures in effect at any time between August 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 relating to elections, election systems, mail-in ballot applications, ballots, voting, compliance with state or federal election laws, polling places, and/or poll watchers.
3) All training materials used to train County election workers, poll workers, poll watchers, Judges of Election, inspectors, clerks, and all persons who staffed voting offices between August 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.
4) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, address, and date of last voting activity of all registered voters within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as of May 1, 2021, by County.
5) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, address, and date of last voting activity of all registered voters within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as of November 1, 2020, by County.
6) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted in person in the November 2020 General Election, by County.
7) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by mail-in ballot in the November 2020 General Election, by County.
8) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by absentee ballot in the November 2020 General Election, by County.
9) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by provisional in the November 2020 General Election, by County.
10) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted in person in the May 2021 Primary Election, by County.
11) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by mail-in ballot in the May 2021 Primary Election, by County.
12) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by absentee ballot in the May 2021 Primary Election, by County.
13) A complete list containing the name, date of birth, drivers license number, last four digits of social security number, and address of all individuals who voted by provisional in the May 2021 Primary Election, by County.
14) A complete list of all changes to voter records made between May 31, 2020 and May 31, 2021.
15) A copy of the certified results for each and every race and/or ballot question on the 2020 General or 2021 Primary elections.
16) A copy of all reports of audits and/or reviews of the SURE system conducted by or for the Department of State between 2018 and the present, including, but not limited to, any audits conducted under 25 Pa.C.S. 1803(a).
17) A copy of the annual reports submitted to the Department in 2021 pursuant to 4 Pa. Code 183.17.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)I think. Not actually too sure what the GOP already has.
But how nice to have all those data are requested already collected in lists to facilitate plotting how best to subvert elections.
Harker
(14,018 posts)there being a micro chip in vaccine injections think this is great!
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)Link to tweet
TEXT
@marceelias
My team @EliasLawGroup is litigating 27 cases in 14 states to protect voting rights and ensure fair districts.
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
Montana
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Texas
Wisconsin
The fight for democracy continues.
2:18 PM · Sep 15, 2021
Link to tweet
TEXT
@marceelias
Protecting voting rights and free and democracy is the single biggest issue facing the country today. Period.
Republicans in Pennsylvania, which President Biden won by more than 80,000 votes, have sought to cast doubt on the elections outcome.
Republicans seek Pennsylvania voters personal information as they try to review the 2020 results.
G.O.P. lawmakers approved subpoenas seeking license and partial Social Security numbers for every voter. Democrats questioned whether the move was even legal.
nytimes.com
2:09 PM · Sep 15, 2021
Smackdown2019
(1,188 posts)WTF?
Social Security numbers are ONLY for Social Security purposes! Employment....
So, what in the world does Social Security numbers have to do with VOTING?
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)They'll probably analyze those SSN numbers to see if they comport with Benford's Law...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law
Smackdown2019
(1,188 posts)SS # has nothing to do with voting. Birth certificates maybe or Real ID maybe to show proof of citizenship, but SS # is for employment or retirement. Not the election judge.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)thenelm1
(854 posts)Deminpenn
(15,286 posts)but connecting the last 4 digits with other information can produce a unique identifier. That's what you need if you are going to match database records. My guess is that's why the Rs want it.
For ex, deminpenn0987 would distinguish me from deminpenn0988.
Smackdown2019
(1,188 posts)Seeking personal information on your vote! This is voter intimidation!
NBachers
(17,110 posts)ananda
(28,860 posts)It's in the Constitution.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)Link to tweet
TEXT
@JoshShapiroPA
·
Sep 15, 2021
This audit is BS.
It is a sham and its all for Donald Trump.
Republicans are issuing subpoenas for information they already have, just to prove to him theyll go to literally any length for his illegitimate fight to overturn our election.
But their theatre is dangerous.
Josh Shapiro
@JoshShapiroPA
They want your private information your social security number to pass on to mysterious third party contractors.
To add insult to injury, they want you to pay for it.
Let me be clear: they arent getting your private information without going through me.
1:46 PM · Sep 15, 2021
(hopefully to be our next Governor)
Jon King
(1,910 posts)This just means Repugs will lose in Senate race and Presidential races in PA. They can not pass voter suppression laws with a Dem governor though. So its all a waste and will result in them losing in 2024 by even more.
Pepsidog
(6,254 posts)Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)All this pomp and circumstance is obviously not based on the merits of the election. Like everything else they do, the GOP is projecting their crimes on Democrats in order to politicize any investigation we may have into their veritable corruption.
monkeyman1
(5,109 posts)time to quit jacking around with republican taliban party ! get their ring leader in jail ! we all know who that is ?
Rebl2
(13,507 posts)this even legal! They have no right to see how you voted or ask for s.s.# and I dont care if its just the last 4 numbers, nor do they need your drivers license#.
JohnnyRingo
(18,632 posts)The data dump has limits, even these days, and the amount of info they seek is staggering, not to mention privacy issues. It's not like one or two workers push a button and get a statewide printout for these sore losers.
Speaker Pelosi could subpoena the voting records of every republican in the country for the past 10 years just to cause a fit.
SWBTATTReg
(22,124 posts)allow this to proceed.
BlueIdaho
(13,582 posts)Should not stand up in a court of law for more than five minutes. It certainly wont stand up in the court of public opinion. The GQPs desperation has blinded them to the ironic hypocrisy of their actions. The party of small government is about to show just how much they love the absolute power of a dictatorship over its people.
Wicked Blue
(5,832 posts)If the repigs want this, they HAVE TO PAY FOR IT UP FRONT
thenelm1
(854 posts)I would agree that this is an egregious overreach of legislative power, but on the other hand I'm rather amused by these continued acts of desperation by the GQP. They are literally burning their own bridges with this continued nutso krap. If there is a such thing as karma, they are literally digging their own graves for their political futures. Very richly earned and deserved, and if there is truly any justice, relegating themselves to the scrap heap of history where they truly belong. And hopefully not just in PA either.
The self-righteousness and belief that they are the sole answer to what ails us, mostly about non-existent BS issues, and the continued digging of the hole deeper into the nonsense, versus trying to adjust the message to appeal to more voters is truly mind boggling. They will always have their hardcore believers, but alienating everyone else? Even people who previously voted for them? If somehow they are successful we are truly lost.
appleannie1
(5,067 posts)Most of that is not only personal info, it is against PA law.
appleannie1
(5,067 posts)marie999
(3,334 posts)and the last 4 of their social security number, you have a good chance of figuring out the whole number unless how they are issued is different than it was when I received mine. A friend of mine got hers when I got mine. The only difference was my last 4 were 1 number lower than hers. We check with friends in the town and we all had the same first 5 numbers.
BumRushDaShow
(129,011 posts)That's because the numbers were originally assigned by areas and groups - https://www.ssa.gov/employer/stateweb.htm
Now it is supposedly "randomized" (as of 2011) - https://www.ssa.gov/employer/randomization.html
malthaussen
(17,195 posts)Ever hear of a "secret ballot?"
-- Mal
dflprincess
(28,078 posts)so they can take the Democratic voters' information & use their names to cast a second ballot.
They will have, at last, found the voter fraud they keep whining about.
Bengus81
(6,931 posts)Sounds about right for that crowd..........