Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will unveil a new election security task force Thursday to implement a cascade of federal, state, and local steps to defend the 2024 battleground state vote from meddling, misinformation, and other severe risks.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt will chair the Election Threats Task Force, which would comprise officials from at least 10 government agencies, including election administration, law enforcement, homeland security, and emergency management.
“We take our responsibility as stewards of our democracy seriously and the Election Threats Task Force will ensure all levels of government are working together to combat misinformation, safeguard the rights of every citizen, and ensure this election is safe.
They include the U.S. attorneys for the state's three federal districts, the state attorney general, county commissioners and election directors, the state and federal Homeland Security departments, the state police, IT and emergency management branches, and the Pennsylvania National Guard.
The task force was founded nearly four years after Joe Biden's tight Pennsylvania victory over Donald Trump, which gave him the Electoral College edge, threats to election workers, misinformation, and vote count issues. Professionals have always been amazed at how quickly those interventions may have affected the outcome. Pennsylvania officials seek to limit risk further.
This is Shapiro's latest vote-boosting effort before 2024. He mostly uses executive actions because to a fractured Legislature.
In particular, he signed an order last year that automatically registered Pennsylvania drivers to vote. Trump branded it a “disaster for the election of Republicans” on social media, which some perceived as a call for his allies to influence in future elections to help GOP prospects.
“In recent years, we’ve seen bad-faith actors attempt to exploit these changes by spreading lies and baseless conspiracy theories, and delegitimizing our safe, secure, and accurate elections,” said Schmidt, the commonwealth secretary and senior elections official.
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