Pa. election officials stress security precautions, warn against voter intimidation
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Threatening emails purported to be from a far-right, neo-fascist group that targeted voters in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Alaska may have originated in the Baltics.
While the email appeared to come from the Proud Boys, an analysis of the metadata suggested it originated in Estonia, the New York Times reported. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe later accused Iran of being behind the emails, while other U.S. officials said Russia is still viewed as a major threat to the Nov. 3 election, the Washington Post reported.
The Proud Boys, an American white supremacist group President Donald Trump urged to “stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate, has described itself as “Western chauvinists.”
The Washington Post reported that Democrats in four states had received emails from “info@officialproudboys.com” directing them to vote for Trump “or we will come after you.”
Voter registration records are public information, as is a voter’s record of participation in elections. However, there are no records indicating for whom voters cast ballots.
In a press call Wednesday, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said her department had not heard specific complaints about the purported emails but is monitoring chatter on social media, as well as isolated events.
Boockvar dismissed ongoing attempts to attack the security of Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting system, which is expected to handle upwards of 3 million ballots for the general election.
“This is disinformation. This is a deliberate attempt to undercut people’s faith in the system,” she said.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said his office also had not received complaints about the alleged threatening emails but will look into any reports of voter intimidation it receives.
“Voter intimidation is illegal,” Shapiro said. “My office has been in court every day for months protecting every voter in Pennsylvania, and we won’t stand by idly while groups like this try to interfere and scare voters.
”I know the president has urged these groups to stand by, but if my office finds proof they are meddling in this election — they will be standing with their hands cuffed.”
Boockvar said Pennsylvania is coordinating election security efforts through PEMA, the state and federal Homeland Security departments, the state police, National Guard and Inspector General, as well as county election offices.
She stressed that only those who request a mail-in ballot in Pennsylvania are sent one. She described the process as a “security sandwich” that requires voters to provide either the last four digits of their Social Security number or a driver’s license in an application that is then checked against databases with those agencies and the county election offices before they are approved.
“Do not believe the hype. Do not believe the disinformation. This is incredibly secure no matter how you choose to vote,” Boockvar said.
She predicted the majority of votes will be counted by Nov. 6, which is the Friday after the election.
Boockvar urged voters with mail-in ballots to return them immediately, even though the Supreme Court ruled mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 may be counted if they are received by 5 p.m. Nov. 6.
“I don’t care what the Supreme Court said. Put (mail-in ballots) in the mail now,” Boockvar said. “They need to be put in the mail this week or if you are dropping it off, dropped off by Nov. 3.”