“On the Holmes Front,” with Frank Holmes
The most controversial features of the 2020 election are about to make a huge comeback in 2024, thanks to Democratic legislatures across the country.
Left-wing governors, including two in swing states, have backed voting “reforms” that help Democrats, hurt Republicans, and undermine American’s faith in elections.
The most significant case comes in Pennsylvania, which flipped between supporting former President Donald Trump in 2016 and backing President Joe Biden by a razor-thin margin in 2020.
The governor of Pennsylvania, Democrat Josh Shapiro, bypassed the state legislature to enact a new law that could flood the voting rolls with ineligible voters, possibly including illegal aliens.
Gov. Shapiro made an executive declaration—with no vote from the legislature—that Pennsylvania would accept “automatic voter registration” (AVR).
From now on, anyone who applies for a driver’s license will be registered to vote automatically, unless he opts out.
That’s everyone who applies — and Pennsylvania already lets “a lawfully present non-U.S. citizen” apply for a REAL ID driver’s license.
The problem should be obvious: “Individuals who are not eligible to vote would inevitably be erroneously placed on to the voter rolls—individuals may be non-citizens, convicted of a felony, temporarily residing in the state, or not wish to register or vote in the state,” according to a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). “This would compound the problem states already have with inaccurate and out-of-date voter rolls.”
You don’t have to rely on theory: Look at what happened in California.
The Golden State implemented automatic voting in 2015, and the system went live in 2018.
The state immediately produced double registrations for 77,000 voters.
And California enrolled at least 1,500 people who had no right to vote—including non-citizens—on the voter rolls.
It’s not just California. Pennsylvania election officials already admitted in October 2017 that at least 544 non-citizens have cast ballots in state elections—votes that can never be taken back. And that was before people had to opt out of being registered.
Setting up the AVR system this late means the bugs won’t be caught until after it’s already done its damage the 2024 election.
Shapiro called his AVR scheme “a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars.”
When running for Governor, I made a commitment to bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania — the birthplace of our democracy.
On this National Voter Registration Day, I’m making that promise a reality. pic.twitter.com/7hSnHLDKAg
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) September 19, 2023
Pennsylvania is the 24th state to adopt this policy…including another state that was on the fence in the last few elections: Minnesota.
“This year we established automatic voter registration,” said Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz the same day as Shapiro’s announcement. “And from now on, all 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote.”
Teenagers are also more likely to vote for Democrats.
To know who benefits from potentially registering illegal aliens to vote in U.S. elections, just look at who’s praising his action.
“Great news,” said ex-president Barack Obama. “Starting today, Pennsylvania will begin automatic voter registration for folks getting a driver’s license or state ID card at the DMV. Hopefully even more states will follow.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said Joe Biden “and I continue to call on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would ensure automatic voter registration (AVR) across the country.” But until then, “I am proud of states like Pennsylvania that are leading the way in implementing AVR for its residents.”
While @POTUS and I continue to call on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would ensure automatic voter registration (AVR) across the country, I am proud of states like Pennsylvania that are leading the way in implementing AVR for its residents. https://t.co/oHJcsrrIhd
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 19, 2023
“It’s a good week for voting rights,” said Bill Clinton’s far-Left Treasury Secretary Robert Reich.
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., called the new voting registration system “fantastic news.”
That’s only one step the Left is taking to change the makeup of the electorate ahead of the presidential election.
In neighboring New York, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill allowing people to vote by mail for any reason… or no reason.
It also requires that jails tell convicts how they can get registered to vote the day they’re released from jail!
“Kathy Hochul and extreme New York Democrats are trying to destroy what is left of election integrity in New York,” said New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Interestingly, the election “reform” comes right after New York Republicans, led by gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, flipped four House seats—including the seat of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney—and gave Hochul the scare of her life.
“When Democrats can’t compete, they cheat,” said New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox.
Why focus on convicts? It benefits the Democrats.
An in-depth study from 2002, funded by billionaire George Soros, found that about 70 percent of convicted felons would vote for a Democrat if they had the chance.
That’s why Democratic governors nationwide have been adding convicted felons to the voting rolls for a decade—and why Democratic megadonor Michael Bloomberg dedicated $16 million to helping felons vote.
Full statement from @ChairmanEdCox in response to Kathy Hochul signing the unconstitutional expansion of mail-in early voting: pic.twitter.com/66weMwBFte
— New York GOP (@NewYorkGOP) September 20, 2023
Not only are these “pro-democracy” reforms anti-democratic, but they may violate their state constitutions.
Pennsylvania law states that a DMV form “shall serve as an application to register to vote unless the applicant fails to sign” it.
“That doesn’t allow (the) DMV to simply take the name from a driver’s license application and register that individual to vote without their permission or signature,” Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The Federalist.
New York’s new law also seems to violate the New York Constitution, which only allows absentee voting if the voters can prove they will be “absent from the county of their residence” or “unable to appear personally at the polling place because of illness or physical disability.”
Republicans in both states are speaking up. Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) blasted Shapiro for taking this “unilateral action on the eve of what is likely to be a hotly contested and close election.”
New York Republicans have filed suit to stop Hochul’s power grab—but so far, Democrats aren’t taking one backward step.
Shapiro promises he “will keep taking innovative actions like this one to make government work better.”
If Democrats succeed in stuffing the ballot box, how can anyone stop them from watering down the vote and fundamentally transforming the country?
Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”