Grove: Enhanced Voter ID Would Have Prevented Philly Election Fraud

DOVER – According to recent news reports, federal charges have been filed against a Philadelphia judge of elections for voter fraud. Among the allegations, she is accused of illegally casting ballots for candidates in races for every level of government for other people and she allowed people to cast ballots on behalf of absent family members.

On the news, Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), chairman of the House State Government Committee and author of the Voting Rights Protection Act, issued this statement:

“The latest news of election fraud out of Philadelphia is extremely concerning and illustrates why enhanced voter identification and e-poll books—provisions included in the Voting Rights Protection Act—are so critical in preventing fraud. Since current voter lists and voter history are public records, fraudsters can calculate the chances of individuals actually showing up to vote. Fraudsters can then pose as an individual, getting around current law, and vote in the names of countless people, as was allegedly done here. E-poll books can be linked to the driver license database and include driver’s license photos, as well as allow voters to use their driver’s license to register at polling places. This reduces line wait times, increases efficiencies and provides integrity at every poll. E-poll books will also prevent fraudsters from manipulating vote counts.

“A reintroduced version of the Pennsylvania Voting Rights Protection Act has been voted out of committee. It is time for Pennsylvania Democrats to stop denying voter fraud exists and work with us on this commonsense legislation that will make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Pennsylvania.”

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