NEW REPORT: Watchdog Finds Pennsylvania Elections Largely Well Run, Highlights Potential Vulnerabilities
Step-By-Step Guide Details Pennsylvania Vote Counting and Certification Process to Help Guard Against Election Subversion
Informing Democracy Identifies 49 Officials as Potential Election Threats
Background Briefings Available for Reporters, Advocates
Today, Informing Democracy released a new report outlining the city-, county-, and state-wide officials and processes that govern the Pennsylvania general election taking place on November 5, 2024. The comprehensive guide is centralized in a highly interactive, searchable tool to help journalists and pro-democracy champions monitor election processes, and includes:
A timeline for the ongoing and overlapping processes for vote counting and certification, with different customizable view options;
An extensive library of research on election personnel focusing on whether they may pose a threat to election administration, with supporting evidence;
An overview of anti-democracy trends and the potential impact on Pennsylvania elections.
In conducting research into the Pennsylvania election administration, the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization made up of election professionals, researchers, and lawyers found that Pennsylvania elections are largely well run, though local officials in Pennsylvania may have more discretion than in most other states.
“As anti-democracy actors and election deniers attempt to interfere with elections in 2024, it's important that Pennsylvania voters know that there are robust protections in place to safeguard the Commonwealth’s election process from those working to undermine it,” said Informing Democracy Executive Director Jenna Lowenstein. “To increase transparency and help defend against those attacks, our in-depth guide details what each step of the vote counting and certification process looks like and identifies potential threats from within and outside those systems. From pro-democracy advocates and journalists, to the voters casting their ballots this November, this tool will help Pennsylvanians monitor the election, target corrective action, and hold officials accountable.”
However, Informing Democracy did find potential vulnerabilities in certain electoral processes and identified nearly 50 election officials who raise concern due to anti-democratic tendencies:
Conflicting guidance from the Secretary of the Commonwealth and County Boards of Elections can cause inconsistencies or confusion;
While County Boards of Elections must certify their election results by law, individual board members have violated their duty to certify results, like Allegheny County Commissioner Sam DeMarco in 2020;
Under-resourced departments and turnover of experienced election staff increases both the risk of anti-democratic actors in critical roles and of unintentional human errors being weaponized by election deniers;
Some individuals closely involved in the administration of Pennsylvania's elections could pose such threats, including:
Fifteen key election officials who opposed certifying the results of local elections. One even served as a “fake elector” for Donald Trump: Allegheny County’s Sam DeMarco was investigated by the FBI after he signed on as an alternative elector for President Trump’s scheme to overturn the 2020 election results;
Fourteen officials who denied or questioned the 2020 presidential election results, ranging from publicly sharing conspiracy theories about fake ballots to outright claims that the election was stolen or rigged. For example, Erie County Commissioner Samuel “Charlie” Bayle said “anyone in this country with an ounce of common sense knows the left cheated to some extent” in a tweet; and
Three of the 14 officials who denied the 2020 election results attended the January 6 Trump rally outside the U.S. Capitol.
You can read the full report here. Informing Democracy will hold a press briefing detailing the report on June 26, at 11 AM EST—please RSVP here.
For questions about the upcoming elections in Pennsylvania or to speak with a researcher, please email Ryan Thomas at ryan@zpstrategies.com.