A local state lawmaker is questioning the validity of Pennsylvania’s elections.
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a republican who represents the state’s 12th district which includes most of southern Butler County, wrote an open letter to Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday. In the letter, Metcalfe demands that the governor instruct the acting secretary of state to release the records of illegally registered voters.
Metcalfe alleges that his request is timely because of the possibility that there were “illegal foreign nationals voting in the special congressional election between Conor Lamb and Rick Saccone.”
“While the answer may be ‘no,’ it remains absolutely unacceptable that you refuse to let the public know the answer. Pennsylvanians who voted in this election need to know that not a single vote was stolen in this election,” Metcalfe writes.
Metcalfe is the chairman of the State House Government Committee. He references testimony his committee heard in 2016 that indicated foreign nationals had registered to vote and cast votes in Philadelphia between 2006 and 2017.
Full letter:
“Dear Governor Wolf:
“As you know, the Office of Open Records granted my appeal requesting the number of foreign nationals who are illegally registered to vote in Pennsylvania.
“The right to freely vote is the most important constitutional right, and your intransigence in hiding this information is concerning. Every Pennsylvanian, and every American, has the right for their vote to count, and each and every illegal vote diminishes that important right. Just this week an election was held with only hundreds of votes dividing the winner and loser.
“Were there any illegal foreign nationals voting in the special congressional election between Conor Lamb and Rick Saccone? While the answer may be ‘no,’ it remains absolutely unacceptable that you refuse to let the public know the answer.
“Pennsylvanians who voted in this election need to know that not a single vote was stolen in this election.
“While the Office of Open Records allowed your administration 30 days to provide the requested information, these records are urgently required, and should be released immediately. No election should be permitted to proceed in the Commonwealth while this pivotal information is being kept out of public view.
“You have been dragging your feet at every turn to keep records regarding foreign nationals illegally registering to vote hidden from the public. Your obstruction and obstinate refusal to provide this information is disturbing, and calls into question, not for the first time, your judgment, priorities, and commitment to transparency. I have been asking for answers since last year on behalf of my constituents and all of the citizens of Pennsylvania, who have a right to these public records.
“Ensuring that United States citizens are the only individuals voting in elections is fundamentally imperative to upholding the republican form of government which we are guaranteed in the Constitution.
“I demand that you instruct the acting Secretary of State to immediately release these records so that we can get to work fixing any problems which the documents you are concealing may reveal, and so that we can restore the confidence in our election system that your lack of transparency has stolen from the public.”