Bill calls for sharing registered voter info with state agencies
HARRISBURG — After Gov. Josh Shapiro last week moved to automatically register driver’s license recipients as voters, an Allegheny County lawmaker is pushing a bill for reciprocity, saying names and addresses of newly registered voters should automatically go to PennDOT and other state agencies.
“Motor-voter, or voter-motor, it goes both ways,” said Rep. Valerie Gaydos, R-Allegheny, referring to the nickname of a federal law that requires states to offer voter registration opportunities at motor vehicle registration locations. “If [Mr.] Shapiro wants to make things so efficient, why not go both ways so we can have all the information?”
A Democrat from Montgomery County, Rep. Napoleon Nelson, agrees with Ms. Gaydos. He signed on as a cosponsor of her bill. “We have a significant deficit in how the state manages, processes, and handles data,” Mr. Nelson said. There is a need to enhance “the ability to share information across agencies,” he added.
They spoke as House members prepare to return to Harrisburg for a voting session Tuesday, their first since July 7.
While the party tally in the chamber remains tied at 101, last week’s victory by Democrat
Lindsay Powell in a special election for the Allegheny County seat vacated by former Rep. Sara Innamorato means Democrats will soon have a majority. Ms. Powell cannot be sworn in until results of the House District 21 have been certified. The Allegheny County Board of Elections is scheduled to act on the results on Monday.
Matters facing the House include measures to free up spending on some 2024 budget items that were frozen by partisan-disagreements, a bill to change the date of the 2024 presidential primary election, and getting state funding to the University of Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shapiro has appeared repeatedly in national media this year, especially after the rapid reopening of a section of Interstate 95 destroyed in a truck crash and fire. Last week, he appeared on MSNBC hours after he announced that Pennsylvanians who seek to obtain or renew a driver’s license and are eligible to vote will be automatically registered to vote, unless they choose to “opt out.”
Previously, the system at PennDOT required users to “opt in” to become a registered voter.
Ms. Gaydos’ bill was introduced in April and has been referred to the House State Government committee for consideration. A spokesperson for Mr. Shapiro said the governor was reviewing the bill and would continue to do so as it moves through the legislative process.
The bill would require that names and addresses of registering voters be shared by the Department of State with PennDOT, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Labor and Industry, and other entities including local municipalities that levy taxes. Ms. Gaydos said that both DHS and the Labor Department sent payments to incorrect addresses during the pandemic.
“With the cost of government increasing every day, it is simply imperative to streamline government as much as possible,” she said.
Mr. Shapiro’s voter registration announcement triggered pushback from a group of conservative House members, dubbed the Freedom Caucus and led by Rep. Dawn Keefer, R-York. In a news release, the group said it plans to file a lawsuit to block implementation of the “opt out” process at PennDOT for voter registration.
In his announcement last week, Mr. Shapiro said 23 other states have taken similar steps.
The Freedom Caucus’ statement referred to the governor’s announcement as a political maneuver, criticized him for bypassing the state Legislature, and said 20 of the 23 states he mentioned took the action via legislation or voter approval.