PA Fight Over Purging vs. Accuracy of Voter Rolls

Two prominent Voting Rights Groups are attempting to formally Intervene so they can Fight a Pennsylvania Lawsuit that threatens Thousands of Names on the Voter Rolls.

The Suit filed Two weeks ago by Judicial Watch, a Conservative Advocacy Group, maintains the State and Three bellwether Counties are Not following Federal Law requiring Regular Maintenance to cull Registration Rosters of People who have Moved, Died or are No Longer Eligible to Vote for Other Reasons.

It is the latest skirmish over Voter Rolls that could Alter the Course of the 2020 Election. Republicans argue that Properly Maintaining the voter Lists is Not only a Federal Mandate but also helps Prevent Election Fraud. Democrats generally Oppose these efforts, which they say are too often Partisan Crusades to Suppress the Vote and end up Improperly Disenfranchising Eligible Voters.

The Suit claims the Three Suburban Philadelphia Counties: Bucks, Chester, and Delaware, with a combined 1.2 million Registered Voters, are Not following the Federal Cleanup Requirements and are Refusing to turn over Documents describing their Maintenance Efforts.

On Monday, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters asked a State Judge to allow them to become Defendants, because their Members are among the People whose Names might be Removed from the Rolls. The Current Defendants are Democratic Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, and Election Officials in the Three Counties.

The Law allows Names to be Removed from the Registration Rolls in Pennsylvania using a Two-Step Process. Letters are sent to People thought to be No Longer Eligible. Those who do Not respond can stay on the Rolls by Voting in One of the next Two Federal Elections, but if they don't their names are Dropped, at least until they Register Anew.

But under the Voting Rights Act (VRA), One of the Fist Steps is: when Voters Do Not Vote in Two Consecutive Federal Elections, then Letters or Postcards are sent. Then if a Voter does Not Reply, a State can move those Voters to Inactive. Then if they Do Not Vote in Two more Federal Elections they can be Removed.

I would add a Birth Date Test and Remove Voter with Very Old Dates. There also is the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). ERIC is an Encrypted, Inter-State Voter-Roll De-Duplicator System Designed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, to Check if a Voter is on Multiple States Voter Rolls.

The Dispute is now before the State Supreme Court, which has Not decided whether to Reconsider a Lower Appeals Court's Unanimous Ruling in February that the Voters should Remain on the Rolls at least until the State Addresses what it has Conceded are Flaws in its Own Record-Keeping. Most of the Disputed Names are on the Rolls of Democrat-leaning Milwaukee and Madison.










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