Editorial: Election integrity and voter intimidation cannot coexist

Election integrity is important.

We must be able to be sure that the votes cast in an election represent the will of the people. This means that they must be votes belonging to a specific area.

Although some internet circles and political leaders talk about things like non-citizen voting, the issue is not as specific as this theory. There are other ways people can vote inappropriately.

This could be deliberate, either because someone was upvoting or testing a boundary. But sometimes it’s inadvertent.

Maybe someone didn’t update their address after moving. This could change the state, county, congressional district, congressional district and much more. Perhaps a person was eligible in one jurisdiction but is not eligible in another; States have different laws about things like voting after conviction, for example.

These are legitimate concerns and the errors must be corrected. But voter fraud is also surprisingly rare, and that cannot be ignored – or confused with malice.

The Heritage Foundation is the conservative think tank that created the list of judicial nominees under the Trump administration, including the three Supreme Court nominations. He developed Project 2025, a blueprint for future conservative administrations. It also produced a database on cases of electoral fraud.

According to this list, there have been 1,561 cases since 1982. That’s 42 general elections, plus primaries and special elections. These are the presidential elections of Reagan, Bush, Clinton, a second Bush, Trump and Biden. The total votes cast in the presidential elections alone during this period exceed 1.1 billion.

It includes 35 instances in Pennsylvania over this period: less than one instance per year.

On Thursday, the Westmoreland County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed an investigation into reports of double voting. Language does not distinguish between intention and error. According to the office’s chief detective, Ron Zona, the investigation involves six names provided by state Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, and one name from the county elections office.

“We need to check that out,” Zona said.

He’s right. Just like a report of child abuse, domestic violence, murder, or any other reported crime or public issue, voting irregularities must be handled frankly and honestly to keep the process safe.

Nelson said the names he referenced came from constituents and reflected a particular concern for students. This follows other Republicans who noted similar names between people who voted in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Nelson admitted there was no evidence of wrongdoing and forwarded the names to the county and the U.S. Department of Justice.

One woman on that list is Lauren Elliott, who has lived in Pennsylvania her entire life and called the suggestion that she could have voted in two states a “false lie.” To her, it looked like voter intimidation.

Timing probably contributes to this. With just over two weeks until the election and with mail-in ballots already being delivered, the suggestion that a registered Democrat – or Republican – might not be able to vote might seem daunting.

This election has been controversial and it will likely continue. This makes the issue of election integrity all the more important.

But a critical part of election integrity is ensuring that all voters feel welcomed in the process and not pushed aside.