Pennsylvania: Election Security Task Force Assembled Ahead of November Polls

Law enforcement agencies, civil defense officials, and election administrators in the state of Pennsylvania have begun meeting to coordinate how they would identify and fight election threats ahead of the US presidential elections in November.

According to the Associated Press, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's administration announced on Thursday (Feb. 29) that he had created the Pennsylvania Election Threats Task Force after the state became a magnet for baseless allegations about election fraud and filed lawsuits in an effort to undo Joe Biden's 2020 victory there and keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

The task force would be led by Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt and is designed to share information and coordinate in the fight against threats to the election process, voter intimidation, and misinformation about voting and elections.

"Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy, and we are working to continue defending Pennsylvanians' fundamental freedoms and ensure we have a free, fair, safe, secure election this November," Shapiro said in a statement.

Some of the agencies involved in the task force include the US Department of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the Pennsylvania National Guard.

(Photo: DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Dealing with Mail-in Ballots

The state has been expected to become pivotal again in the elections this autumn after Trump accused Pennsylvania of allegedly tolerating "bad things" in Philadelphia and told supporters in December to "guard the vote" and to monitor the election in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta to "watch those votes when they come in."

Shapiro was the state attorney general when he played a central role in defending Pennsylvania's 2020 election against Republican efforts in court to overturn it. He said that administration officials were preparing for the election on legal, law enforcement, and election administration fronts.

In recent weeks, Schmidt—himself a former Philadelphia election official who has told of enduring death threats for defending the city's 2020 vote counting against Trump's lies—has said that a wave of experienced administrators departing county election offices is a threat to elections due to issues regarding the standardization of mail-in ballots.

"[Any mistake,] especially in an environment where any mistake, no matter how innocent, is so easily interpreted as being intentional and malicious and seeking to change the outcome of an election," he added.