Third Pennsylvania County Investigating Hundreds of Voter Registration Forms Dropped Off by Arizona-Based Firm

York County is investigating roughly 740 voter registration forms for potential fraud.

AP/Gene J. Puskar
An official Pennsylvania mail-in ballot. AP/Gene J. Puskar

A third county in Pennsylvania is launching a formal investigation into voter registration forms dropped off by an Arizona-based consultancy for potential fraud. 

Two other Pennsylvania counties, Lancaster and Monroe, are also investigating batches of election materials suspected of being fraudulent. The suspicious forms were dropped off in the three counties around the same time last week.

The York County Board of Elections said on Wednesday that after reviewing a batch of 3,087 voter registration applications dropped off by an Arizona-based consultancy Field+Media, it denied 24 percent and referred them to the district attorney for further investigation.

Of the roughly 740 forms being investigated, York County elections officials said nearly 85 percent were duplicate registration applications. Another 29 percent of the forms contained “incomplete information,” and officials are working to contact the applicants to determine whether to approve them. About 47 percent of the forms were “verified as legitimate” and approved.

The Board of Elections said voters whose registration forms are under review can “still vote in-person on Election Day by provisional ballot.” However, it added that their votes would not be counted until “questions related to their registration are resolved.”

“York County is following the law and our process, as we always have, to ensure that every eligible voter is able to vote and that every legal vote is counted. We want to reassure our community that our process is working, and the integrity, safety, and security of our elections is sound,” the board said in a statement. 

On October 28, the York County president commissioner, Julie Wheeler, notified the public that the Board of Elections received an “overabundance of registrations” from Field+Media. However, she did not state at the time that the forms were found to be fraudulent.

“We’re in a phase now where we need to do our homework before we go and make accusations when we don’t have the data to back it up,” Ms. Wheeler said on Monday. “If suspected fraud is identified, we will alert the District Attorney’s Office, which will then conduct an investigation.”

York County officials said Field+Media was working on behalf of a voter mobilization organization, the Everybody Votes Campaign. 

The Everybody Votes Campaign tells the Sun that it provides “resources and support to local partners working on nonpartisan voter registration, and we are committed to helping ensure every eligible person is registered to vote.”

“We have not been contacted by officials in Lancaster, York, or Monroe counties about any ongoing investigations and have no additional information on the forms in question. Our partners work diligently to ensure all forms collected comply with all rules and regulations. We intend to work with our partners and the election officials to quickly resolve any discrepancies,” the campaign added. 

Pennsylvania is seen as a key battleground state on November 5. Any issues with voting procedures or allegations of fraud will likely receive intense scrutiny from both Democratic and Republican campaigns in the state.

President Trump reacted to the multiple investigations in Pennsylvania, writing on X, “Wow! York County, Pennsylvania, received THOUSANDS of potentially FRUADULENT [sic] Voter Registration Forms and Mail-In Ballot Applications from a third party group.”

“This on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, all written by the same person. Really bad ‘stuff.’ WHAT IS GOING ON IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law Enforcement must do their job, immediately!!! WOW!!!” he added. 

Lancaster County officials were the first to announce the discovery of the apparent attempted fraud when they shared on October 25 they had uncovered an “organized” effort to submit fraudulent voter registration applications.

Officials said 60 percent of the 2,500 applications submitted were fraudulent. During a press conference, the Lancaster district attorney, Heather Adams, said the forms appeared to be connected to a “large-scale canvassing operation for voter registration.” 

Aside from sharing that they had discovered even more fraudulent materials, Lancaster officials have been tight-lipped about the case and declined to name the vote canvassing operation.

However, the district attorney for Monroe County, Mike Mancuso, said the county’s Board of Elections “identified approximately 30 irregular forms” dropped off last week.

Like York County officials, Mr. Mancuso said Field+Media dropped off the suspicious forms. 

Field+Media did not provide a comment by the time of publication. After the Sun reached out by phone, the company removed its number from its website. The company’s LinkedIn page lists several employees, including an individual whose name is hidden but is listed as a “canvasser” for the company.


The New York Sun

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