{"id":2323564,"date":"2024-08-13T06:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T10:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-pas-elections-are-secure-why-did-doj-launch-fraud-case\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T06:53:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T10:53:32","slug":"if-pas-elections-are-secure-why-did-doj-launch-fraud-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-pas-elections-are-secure-why-did-doj-launch-fraud-case\/","title":{"rendered":"If PA&#8217;s Elections Are Secure, Why Did DOJ Launch Fraud Case?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fif-pas-elections-are-secure-why-did-doj-launch-fraud-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323564&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Montgomery\u200b County, \u200cPennsylvania, a man named Philip C. Pulley has been charged with election fraud, specifically for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-wisconsin-electors-cannot-change-their-ballots-after-already-voting\/\" title=\"Court: Wisconsin Electors Bound to Original Ballot, No Changes Allowed\">casting multiple votes<\/a> in different counties. Pulley, 62, allegedly registered \u200dto vote using false information in three counties: Montgomery and Philadelphia \u2062in Pennsylvania, and Broward County in Florida. He faces accusations of voting by mail in \u2064Philadelphia while also voting in Montgomery \u200cand \u200dBroward \u2062counties during the 2020 general\u200b election, as well as voting in both Montgomery and Philadelphia in the 2022 elections. <\/p>\n<p>If convicted, Pulley could face significant penalties, including up to five \u200cyears in prison for each count. Despite these \u200dallegations,\u200c local media emphasize that such\u2064 instances of voter fraud are rare. However, the report suggests that the\u200d conditions in Pennsylvania may\u200b allow for more\u200c such violations, citing lax regulatory measures concerning voter registration.\u200d This includes\u200d a\u200c directive from the Pennsylvania \u200cDepartment of\u2062 State\u2064 that\u2064 prevents rejection of registrations based solely on non-matching identification\u2064 numbers, potentially enabling individuals \u2062to register multiple times without proper verification. The report highlights concerns about the integrity of the voting process due to\u2063 these \u200dvulnerabilities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A Montgomery County Pennsylvania man has been charged with election fraud &mdash; one man, multiple votes &mdash; but local media wants you to know election fraud is really rare.<\/p>\n<p>Philip C. Pulley of Huntington Valley, was charged with falsely registering to vote, double voting, and election fraud. United States Attorney Jacqueline Romero&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edpa\/pr\/montgomery-county-man-charged-election-fraud-offenses#:~:text=PHILADELPHIA%20%E2%80%93%20United%20States%20Attorney%20Jacqueline,double%20voting%2C%20and%20election%20fraud.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> the charges on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses Pulley of registering to vote in three counties: Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, and Broward County in Florida, using a false home address, and a false Social Security number.<\/p>\n<p>Pulley, 62, is accused of requesting a mail-in ballot to vote in Philadelphia County in the 2020 general election, while also voting from Montgomery and Broward counties. He is also accused of voting in both Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Neither the <a href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:US:b21fe217-4e61-45dd-bf44-b2c23dc16730\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">document<\/a> outlining the charges nor a spokeswoman from the DOJ&rsquo;s U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office in the Eastern District of Philadelphia provided Pulley&rsquo;s date of birth, which would make it simple to look up his party affiliation. When specifically asked for clarification as to his party affiliation, the spokeswoman told The Federalist in an email that she was not able to provide any further information.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If convicted, on each count of the information [Pulley] faces a maximum possible sentence of five years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $10,000 to $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment,&rdquo; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edpa\/pr\/montgomery-county-man-charged-election-fraud-offenses#:~:text=PHILADELPHIA%20%E2%80%93%20United%20States%20Attorney%20Jacqueline,double%20voting%2C%20and%20election%20fraud.\">statement<\/a> from the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office in Eastern District of Pennsylvania<\/p>\n<p>But legacy media assures readers this kind of thing almost never happens.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The case represents a rare example of documented voter fraud,&rdquo; the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in the second sentence of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/politics\/election\/election-fraud-charges-pennsylvania-florida-20240809.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a>, just under the comforting headline describing the alleged crime as a &ldquo;rare voter fraud case.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Insisting cheating is rare minimizes the seriousness of the crime.&nbsp;Tornadoes are rare, but people worry when conditions are ripe for one because tornados are destructive.<\/p>\n<p>In Pennsylvania, conditions are ripe for more voter fraud. This case proves it can be done, and no one should be surprised; flimsy rules make it possible.<\/p>\n<p>The Help America Vote Act (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/eac_assets\/1\/6\/HAVA41.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HAVA<\/a>) requires voter registration applicants to provide a valid driver&rsquo;s license number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number if the applicant does not have a valid driver&rsquo;s license.<\/p>\n<p>But in 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) issued <a href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:US:e4648c8a-3c14-4bdc-8292-b69bf9ac3f84\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guidance<\/a> that removed a safeguard that would have prevented one person from registering multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>The DOS directed counties not to reject voter registrations &ldquo;based solely on a non-match between&rdquo; the driver&rsquo;s license number or Social Security number on a registration application and the &ldquo;comparison database numbers.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The application information provided by voters is compared to the matching government database for Social Security or driver&rsquo;s license numbers. The DOS matching directive ultimately means voters don&rsquo;t exactly have to prove who they are to get a ballot. The state says counties must send mail-in ballots to requesters, even if their data does not match.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is important to remember that any application placed in &lsquo;Pending&rsquo; status while a county is doing follow-up with an applicant whose driver&rsquo;s license or last four of [Social Security number] could not be matched <strong>MUST<\/strong> be accepted, unless the county has identified another reason to decline the application,&rdquo; the guidance reads. &ldquo;Leaving an application in Pending status due to a non-match is effectively the same as declining the application while denying the applicant access to the statutory administrative appeals process &hellip;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This guidance is the subject of several lawsuits asking the state to repeal its matching directive, including one submitted in May by the America First Legal Foundation and Pennsylvania trial Attorney Wally Zimolong.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This lawless directive does not just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-sec-on-womens-school-sports-we-have-a-legal-responsibility-to-include-transgender-athletes\/\" title=\"Biden Education Sec On Women\u2019s School Sports: We Have a \u2018Legal Responsibility\u2019 to Include Transgender Athletes\">violate federal law<\/a>; it creates a regime where an untold number of ineligible voters, including non-citizens, can register to vote in all state and federal elections in the Commonwealth,&rdquo; the May <a href=\"https:\/\/media.aflegal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/21185642\/HAVA-Complaint-FINAL-FOR-POSTING.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complaint<\/a> reads.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint calls for the DOS to issue a new directive &ldquo;in compliance with federal law, which requires the State to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsins-vote-by-mail-reform-bill-tackles-a-problem-thats-here-to-stay\/\" title=\"Wisconsin&#039;s Vote-By-Mail Bill Addresses a Persistent Issue\">verify voter information<\/a>, including driver&rsquo;s licenses and Social Security numbers, before approving a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">voter registration application<\/a>,&rdquo; as the complaint reads.<\/p>\n<p>The new directive &ldquo;should also require counties to reject applications that supply a driver&rsquo;s license or Social Security number that does not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/complaint-illegal-memo-lets-people-who-fail-id-checks-onto-pennsylvanias-voter-rolls-anyway\/\" title=\"Issue: Despite Failing ID Checks, Individuals Illegally Added to Pennsylvania&#039;s Voter Rolls\">match state databases<\/a> in accordance with HAVA,&rdquo; the complaint continues.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A man from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has been accused of election fraud\u2014specifically casting multiple votes\u2014but local news outlets emphasize that such fraud is quite uncommon. Philip C. Pulley, a resident of Huntington Valley, faces charges for falsely registering to vote, voting multiple times, and committing election fraud. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero revealed the charges on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Pulley registered to vote in three different counties: Montgomery and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Broward County in Florida, using a fictitious home address and Social Security number. The 62-year-old is accused of requesting a mail-in ballot for the 2020 general election while also voting from both Montgomery and Broward counties. Additionally, he allegedly voted in both Montgomery and Philadelphia counties during the 2022 elections.<\/p>\n<p>The documents detailing the charges do not include Pulley&#8217;s date of birth, which would help determine his political affiliation; when asked about this information by The Federalist, a DOJ spokesperson stated they could not provide further details.<\/p>\n<p>If found guilty on all counts, Pulley could face up to five years in prison for each charge along with potential fines ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 and a special assessment fee of $100 as noted by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this case being an example of documented voter fraud, legacy media outlets insist that such incidents are rare occurrences. For instance, the Philadelphia Inquirer described it as &#8220;a rare voter fraud case&#8221; right under its headline about the alleged crime.<\/p>\n<p>While some may downplay these instances by claiming they are infrequent\u2014similar to how people might worry about tornadoes despite their rarity\u2014the conditions in Pennsylvania suggest that voter fraud could be more prevalent than acknowledged due to lax regulations.<\/p>\n<p>The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) mandates that voter registration applicants provide either a valid driver&#8217;s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number if they lack a driver&#8217;s license. However, guidance issued by Pennsylvania&#8217;s Department of State (DOS) in 2018 removed safeguards against individuals registering multiple times by instructing counties not to reject registrations solely based on mismatches between provided numbers and those found in government databases.<\/p>\n<p>This directive means voters may not need to fully verify their identities before receiving ballots since counties must send mail-in ballots even if there are discrepancies with their data matching requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Several lawsuits have emerged challenging this guidance\u2014including one filed by America First Legal Foundation alongside attorney Wally Zimolong\u2014which argues that it violates federal law while allowing potentially numerous unqualified voters\u2014including non-citizens\u2014to register for state and federal elections without proper verification processes being followed as mandated by HAVA.<\/p>\n<p>Beth Brelje serves as an elections correspondent for The Federalist with extensive experience as an investigative journalist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2323565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/DSC_0765-Copy-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7076,6571,37960,3646],"class_list":["post-2323564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-doj","tag-elections","tag-fraud-case","tag-security"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/DSC_0765-Copy-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}