Posted: | February 9, 2021 01:26 PM |
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From: | Representative Francis X. Ryan |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Election Registry Review and Controls and Penalties for Voting Multiple Times in an Election |
As we examined the control concerns in the Auditor General’s Audit of the SURE system completed in 2019, it became apparent that certain controls were lacking in the system of internal and external controls on voting. The purpose of this legislation is to reform the processes going forward. In the analysis of the general election in 2020, it was determined that in excess of 4,000 persons may have voted more than one time. The number of voters submitting more than one ballot is an area in the general registry that is in desperate need of improvement. The election reform is intended to rectify that discrepancy, prescribe audit processes and impose penalties on those in violation. The legislation will require a specific review process and internal control methodology for the Commonwealth to follow within 90 days after an election. The legislation requires that individuals so identified as potentially as having voted more than one time will be referred to the Attorney General’s office for investigation to determine the validity of the possible multiple votes. Additionally, the legislation requires that for elections with federal candidates on the ballot, a comparison of voting records with bordering states at a minimum must be conducted with a report given to the General Assembly within 180 days after the election. Should potential duplicate voting be determined, the affected records will be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for possible action. Individuals found to be guilty of voting more than once will be subject to enhanced civil and criminal fines with a fine of up to $5000 with costs incurred and/or up to 6 months in prison. Please join me and co-sponsor this legislation to ensure votes in our Commonwealth are correctly counted and discourage further purposeful subversion of our election system. |
Introduced as HB1197