Secretary of State for Pennsylvania Al Schmidt, who appeared on “60 Minutes,” evaded a crucial question this year.
Would you be able to catch a noncitizen trying to cast a vote if they tried?” Cecelia Vega, the examiner, posed a question.
It is a yes or no question, but like the first kid picked in gym class, Schmidt is pretty good at dodgeball, he did n’t answer directly.  ,
” That’s just not anything that happens, because when it gets identified, there are serious consequences, whether it’s prosecutors and/or imprisonment from the country”, Schmidt said.  ,
Vega was not summon a follow-up question to hit Schmidt. She was content to acknowledge his rejection as a full response.
Schmidt had to react this way because, in fact, the answer is never, election officials may not get a non-citizen from voting in every circumstance, for many reasons.
Second, Schmidt’s Department of State has given a plausible policy to regions.
When state election workers receive applications for voter registration, they match the application’s information with a database using the last four digits of a pilot’s license number or social security number. Countys are required to conduct this assessment by the Federal Help America Vote Act. This way, regions verify the requester’s personality and assure they are eligible to vote.  ,  ,
However, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s order, voter registrations may not be rejected based only on a non-match between the applicants ‘ identification numbers on their applications and the assessment figures on the vehicles ‘ passport or Social Security data.
A county’s inability to reject an application that they ca n’t verify opens the door to phony voter registrations, which may include noncitizens who are absent from voting.
The notion that those who choose to vote improperly would been deterred by the threat of deportation is absurd in a nation that has welcomed thousands of illegal border crossings with impunity.
It is not beyond the realm of possibility that someone would be prepared to compromise with the vote in a position where former president Donald Trump was shot in the head during a promotion quit.
Is it better to rig an election with a government that launches a string of false court cases against its democratic adversary and organizes a covert coup to remove the incumbent president from office?
Delight. Accept half the nation for posing these purely moral queries.
Even if the voter registration application’s range matches, the user may still be a noncitizen who is not able to cast ballots.
Election officials ca n’t be certain that only citizens in Pennsylvania will receive a ballot because there is no citizenship verification for voting in Pennsylvania.
The “60 Minutes” portion included an appointment with Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., who painted Trump, and by expansion his followers, as agents of sits for questioning the inconsistencies of the 2020 election.
” I understand he is a painful loser”, Shapiro said of Trump. He may possess wished he had won in 2020, I understand. However, the solution lies in challenging this system, which is composed of both our companions and communities in Pennsylvania. Shapiro expressed concern that crime might occur if some voters reject the results.
Vega questioned Schmidt about the prevalence of voting fraud in Pennsylvania. Another yes or no problem. ( This was a friendly interview, but more skilled interviewers frequently ask open-ended questions to get broad answers. )
” There is no evidence whatsoever that voter fraud takes position, in any way, that is popular, at all”, Schmidt said in a halting speech. But Schmidt eventually claimed that he did get voter fraud while serving on the board of elections in Philadelphia for ten years. Really not a bit. A little bit of lying, in little races. No jumbo.  ,
” Whenever it has occurred, but often, it is to change some pretty over solution race that is decided by a handful of votes. It’s not up to the president of the United States, the governor, a senator, or anything else similar.
Schmidt seems to be saying the small races do n’t matter, and people mostly do n’t cheat. However, he acknowledges that the Pennsylvania voting system has flaws in his statement, which is also true. People concerned about election integrity do n’t shrug off vulnerabilities, they fix them.
Pennsylvania’s electorate would gain from a secretary of state who values small races and recognizes that cheating can occur at a high rate.
For more election news and updates, visit , electionbriefing.com.
Beth Brelje covers The Federalist’s elections coverage. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.