The Pennsylvania Department of State describes “double voting” as an “extremely rare crime.” But some lawmakers and activists have begun saying it’s an issue, and especially pointing to students.
Jamie Flick represents Pennsylvania’s 83rd House district, which includes parts of Lycoming and Union counties. He recently held a news conference on double voting along with other Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg.
Flick said he has compared voter data from 13 Pennsylvania counties to data from Ohio using names and birthdates. Though he claims he has found evidence of double voting, at this point, he said none of it is verified.
“It’s certainly not an exhaustive study we’ve done. It’s more the tip of the iceberg," Flick said.
Flick said he’s reached out to the attorney general and Democratic colleagues to partner on investigations. In the coming months, he said he’ll analyze data from other states and counties, including Centre County.
But Kendall Mainzer said from what she’s seen, double voting among students is a “non-issue.” Mainzer is a program coordinator for student engagement at Penn State. She helps run PSU Votes, a non-partisan effort to register students and help them vote.
“It’s our job to give them the best education that we can to help them be prepared, engaged citizens. And that means voting in only one place,” she said. “So that’s absolutely a part of our messaging.”
Mainzer said her organization is very clear that it’s illegal to vote more than once in the election, and there have been no known instances of Penn State students attempting to do so.
“There’s a lot of things that are confusing or overwhelming about being a first-time voter. This just isn't one of those things,” Mainzer said. “The students easily seem to understand they get one spot, one place to cast their ballot.”
Double voting in Pennsylvania is a third-degree felony punishable with up to seven years in prison.
