STATEMENT: PA Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Hearing and Voter Information Subpoenas
HARRISBURG (September 15, 2021) – Better PA Executive Director Deborah Rose Hinchey made the following statement regarding today’s PA Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee hearing and the vote to issue broad subpoenas on Pennsylvania voter information:
“Today’s hearing, the issuing of invasive subpoenas to investigate an election that was proven to have run smoothly, and the overarching GOP campaign to attack democracy and discredit a bedrock institution is not only a waste of time and taxpayer dollars, it’s nothing short of dangerous.
“While COVID-19 is raging throughout the Commonwealth and its health and economic impacts are still being felt by millions of Pennsylvanians, and as Republican leaders continue to sit on over $7 billion in federal aid that could be going to help small businesses, schools, or direct service providers in difficult times, Senator Cris Dush, the Committee’s chair, and his Republican colleagues seem dead set on using these hearings as a means to justify a sham investigation modeled after the ‘Cyber Ninja’ debacle in Arizona.
“Some of these subpoenas would allow personal information of Pennsylvania voters, including parts of social security numbers (often used for identity verification) and driver’s license numbers, to end up in the hands of a yet-to-be-named private vendor selected by Senator Dush, his staff, and PA GOP lawyers. How can we improve confidence in our election systems through an investigation that lacks transparency, security, and accountability?
“And then, as multiple committee members today made clear today, armed with ‘evidence’ from this investigation, the PA GOP will continue to pursue draconian changes with the only goal to make it more difficult for Pennsylvanians to vote. Many of the same Republicans in the state legislature who have spent countless hours baselessly promoting election conspiracies about the 2020 election were elected or re-elected themselves in that 2020 election.
“This is a dog and pony show, and Pennsylvanians are smart enough to know it.
“We have real problems in our Commonwealth. It would be in their best interest for the PA GOP to start addressing real issues affecting Pennsylvania families.”
“Today’s hearing, the issuing of invasive subpoenas to investigate an election that was proven to have run smoothly, and the overarching GOP campaign to attack democracy and discredit a bedrock institution is not only a waste of time and taxpayer dollars, it’s nothing short of dangerous.
“While COVID-19 is raging throughout the Commonwealth and its health and economic impacts are still being felt by millions of Pennsylvanians, and as Republican leaders continue to sit on over $7 billion in federal aid that could be going to help small businesses, schools, or direct service providers in difficult times, Senator Cris Dush, the Committee’s chair, and his Republican colleagues seem dead set on using these hearings as a means to justify a sham investigation modeled after the ‘Cyber Ninja’ debacle in Arizona.
“Some of these subpoenas would allow personal information of Pennsylvania voters, including parts of social security numbers (often used for identity verification) and driver’s license numbers, to end up in the hands of a yet-to-be-named private vendor selected by Senator Dush, his staff, and PA GOP lawyers. How can we improve confidence in our election systems through an investigation that lacks transparency, security, and accountability?
“And then, as multiple committee members today made clear today, armed with ‘evidence’ from this investigation, the PA GOP will continue to pursue draconian changes with the only goal to make it more difficult for Pennsylvanians to vote. Many of the same Republicans in the state legislature who have spent countless hours baselessly promoting election conspiracies about the 2020 election were elected or re-elected themselves in that 2020 election.
“This is a dog and pony show, and Pennsylvanians are smart enough to know it.
“We have real problems in our Commonwealth. It would be in their best interest for the PA GOP to start addressing real issues affecting Pennsylvania families.”
