HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate are preparing to test how far they can go in pursuing what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election.
The Republican-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee met Wednesday for a party-line vote on a subpoena for detailed information on who voted in last year’s presidential election.
That information includes:
- names
- dates of birth
- addresses
- driver's license numbers
- the last four digits of their social security number
- how each person voted, whether in person or by mail
- when they last voted
Most of that information is available from the PA Department of State, except for the license and social security numbers.
Republicans say they want to make sure there were no irregularities in Pennsylvania's recent elections despite several courts dismissing lawsuits from Trump supporters that provided no evidence of voter fraud.
"There have been questions regarding the validity of who have been – who have voted, whether or not they exist. Again, we're not responding to proven allegations, we're investigating the allegations to determine whether or not they are factual," said State Senator Cris Dush, the chair of Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee.
A taxpayer-funded election review in Pennsylvania could cost millions of dollars, and Republicans have yet to answer major questions about how it will work and who will work on it.
Democrats say Republicans are helping perpetuate baseless claims that former President Donald Trump was cheated out of victory.
They are vowing to challenge the subpoena in court, and it’s not clear whether Wolf’s administration can be forced to produce the information.
For more information on the PA state Senate, click here.