Pennsylvania officials investigating 2,500 voter registrations for fraud

Election officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have reached out to the district attorney’s office after spotting potential red flags in around 2,500 voter registrations. During a press conference on Friday, District Attorney Heather Adams revealed that the registrations, submitted in two batches just before the voter-registration deadline, raised suspicion due to several factors including identical handwriting and mismatched signatures compared to existing records.

Adams explained that election workers noticed inaccuracies in personal identifiers such as names, addresses, social security, and driver’s license numbers. Furthermore, investigators spoke to certain individuals who claimed they had neither requested nor filled out the submitted forms.

This investigation unfolds as voting has commenced in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state for both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the ongoing election cycle. Notably, Lancaster County, home to a significant Amish community, favored Trump by nearly 16 points in the 2020 election.

While Adams did not specify the exact number of applications reviewed thus far, she reported that approximately 60% of them appeared fraudulent. She also acknowledged that there were valid applications within the group, which would be processed accordingly.

The issue seems linked to a large-scale canvassing operation—though she did not reveal its identity—and similar investigations are underway in two other counties in the state. The canvassers involved were compensated, a standard practice, but officials did not comment on whether the applications had a party affiliation.

“It really shouldn’t matter. If we have voters on the rolls who shouldn’t be there, it heightens the risk of voter fraud,” said Williams, highlighting the importance of the integrity of the voter registration process.

This development comes just days after Lancaster County faced allegations of improperly delaying voter-registration applications from students.