At a July 16 prime time address, Trump said there are 250,000 noncitizen voters alone in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
The same day, Mullin sent Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt a letter saying as many as 14,576 were living in Pennsylvania. Mullin asked for Schmidt\u2019s cooperation in identifying them. \u201cElection security is national security,\u201d Mullin said in a press release announcing letters to the four states. <\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!0Cy0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack.com%2Fimg%2Fattachment_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s Letter<\/p>\n
280KB \u2219 PDF file<\/p>\n
Download<\/a>Download<\/a><\/p>\n Schmidt has held firm in not turning over voter data.<\/p>\n \u201cI can think of no greater thing that would compromise the privacy of our nearly nine million voters and the integrity of our elections than providing records of that nature,\u201d Schmidt said in a July 30 interview with Armchair Lehigh Valley. \u201cWe have no certainty those records will be secure and will not be shared outside of who we provide them to.\u201d<\/p>\n Schmidt, who is a Republican, said he is barred from giving a detailed voter list under the federal Privacy Act of 1974<\/a>, which governs the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of information about individuals.<\/p>\n Like anyone else, he said, Mullin is able to purchase voter lists that include the names, addresses and party affiliation of voters \u2013 lists regularly used by both political parties and political committees to reach out to voters.<\/p>\n Schmidt also raised concerns about DHS\u2019s methodology, telling Mullin in a July 29 letter that DHS\u2019s Citizenship and Immigration Services has acknowledged that it can\u2019t always access the most current citizenship information.<\/p>\n He asked Mullin to explain how he came up with the 14,576 figure.<\/p>\n How voters are vetted in Pennsylvania A similar bill passed the House of Representatives 220-208 on April 10 with Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who represents the 7th Congressional District, among the yes tallies.<\/p>\n Facing opposition in the Senate, the House took the first steps on July 22 to make SAVE part of a budget reconciliation bill, which would remove the Senate\u2019s 60-vote threshold for passage. It passed 216-212 with Mackenzie voting yes. At his July telephone town hall, Mackenzie called the act a \u201cvery reasonable and very appropriate\u201d way to make sure only eligible people vote.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania voters can register in two ways \u2013 by filling out a voter registration form<\/a> and mailing or taking it in person to their county election office or through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation when they seek new or renewed driver\u2019s licenses, change of addresses or photo identification cards.<\/p>\n Applicants must answer yes or no if they are U.S. citizens. The form also requires a driver\u2019s license or state photo ID number. If they don\u2019t have one, they must give the last four digits of their Social Security number.<\/p>\n In signing the form, Schmidt said applicants legally attest the information provided is true. Answering falsely could lead to a perjury conviction with up to a $15,000 fine and seven years in prison. <\/p>\n Noncitizens face deportation under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019s a lot more than just checking a box on a piece of paper,\u201d Schmidt said. <\/p>\n Schmidt said county election office employees enter the voter\u2019s information into the state\u2019s Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, a database of all registered voters that is required under the Help America Vote Act.<\/p>\n The SURE system automatically runs new registrants on an individual basis through the federal Help America Vote Verification, a system developed in 2004 that allows the state to confirm an applicant through a partial Social Security number. An applicant\u2019s driver\u2019s license is also checked against PennDOT data, Schmidt said.<\/p>\n Federal law in 1993 mandated that voters be allowed to register to vote through their state departments of motor vehicles. It was seen as a way to better vet citizenship because applicants were already being screened to be able to legally drive in their states. Pennsylvanians have been able to register at driver centers since 2013.<\/p>\n PennDOT uses a multistep process to verify whether applicants are citizens or noncitizens who can obtain driver licenses if they have legal status in the U.S.<\/p>\n All applicants must appear in person at a PennDOT Driver License Center.<\/p>\n Along with filling out a form<\/a>, applicants must present original documentation that shows they are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally. They must also show proof that they reside in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n U.S. citizens who are age 18 or older must show a Social Security card and one of the following \u2013 a birth certificate with a raised seal, a valid U.S. passport, a certificate of U.S. citizenship, a consular report of birth abroad or a certificate of naturalization.<\/p>\n U.S. applicants must show two forms of proof of residency, including a W-2 form or pay stub, a postmarked mail or package, a lease agreement or mortgage document, official tax records, a state vehicle registration card, and auto insurance card or a utility bill.<\/p>\n Noncitizens must show the same proof of residency. They also must provide original documents issued by DHS establishing lawful presence. Such immigrants receive an ID number.<\/p>\n PennDOT runs ID numbers in the SAVE system \u2013 the one the Trump administration wants to use on full voter lists \u2013 to verify the status of noncitizens and their authorized lengths of stay in the country. PennDOT also uses the system to verify certificates of naturalization and citizenship.<\/p>\n Residents who obtain a new or renewed driver licenses and ID cards are automatically taken through the voter registration application process unless they opt out of doing so.<\/p>\n Schmidt said voter registration applications that are flagged for issues are reviewed at the county level to see whether a mistake was made. Voters are contacted over discrepancies and given time to respond before an application is rejected.<\/p>\n He said one reason for the careful review is that databases are not always accurate in real time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could get a driver\u2019s license as a noncitizen in January and become naturalized in March,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cYou certainly don\u2019t want to cancel the voter registration of an eligible United States citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n Databases not always up to date It was originally a tool used to verify whether legal immigrants qualified for benefits on an individual, case-by-case basis. It has since been revamped to do sweeping reviews of lists.<\/p>\n DHS also added the ability to search the Social Security Administration\u2019s Help America Vote Verification and the State Department\u2019s U.S. passport database.<\/p>\n In a 75-page ruling<\/a> on June 22 declaring SAVE as unlawful in its current form, U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said DHS violated the Privacy Act and the Social Security Act, which bars the dissemination of Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n She noted cases where citizens had their voting rights taken away because of information was not up to date.<\/p>\n \u201cAll in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,\u201d Sooknanan wrote.<\/p>\n The federal government appealed her decision as well as the June 27 ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon that dismissed the federal government\u2019s case seeking Pennsylvania\u2019s voter rolls. So far, the Justice Department has lost 21<\/a> out of some 30 cases filed against states. No rulings have been issued in its favor.<\/p>\n Accuracy of the vetting process An investigation by Reuters<\/a> found 129 noncitizens have been prosecuted under the 1996 federal law, most stemming from confusion about the process or clerical errors. <\/p>\n Schmidt pointed to the release of an April audit by Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor of PennDOT\u2019s motor voter process. DeFoor, an elected Republican, reviewed more than 200,000 unique voter registration applications that covered Jan. 1 2024, to June 30, 2024.<\/p>\n
As part of his drive for secure elections, Trump wants Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act<\/a>, which would require voters to present documentary evidence of citizenship when registering to vote. It would also require an approved photo ID to vote.<\/p>\n
Schmidt said the SAVE system is prone to errors.<\/p>\n
Schmidt, who is a Republican, said cases of noncitizens ending up on the voter rolls are few and far between. When it has happened, he said, it\u2019s been due to human error or computer software glitches \u2013 not widespread fraud.<\/p>\n