(Pennsylvania-AP) Pennsylvania is often the subject of election-related misinformation. Social media users have falsely suggested that large numbers of migrants are illegally registered to vote in Pennsylvania, incorrectly asserted that the time it takes to count votes in the state is a smokescreen for fraud, and made baseless claims about foul play involving deceased voters.
A 1996 federal law allows fines and imprisonment for up to a year for noncitizens who vote in federal elections. Violators can also be deported. When people in the U.S. register to vote, they swear under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens.
Under Pennsylvania law, elections officials must wait until 7 a.m. Eastern Time on Election Day before they can begin to process ballots cast by mail and prepare them to be counted.
According to Geoff Morrow, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State, Pennsylvania law allows counties to use information from the health department, published obituaries, and testamentary documents to confirm that a voter has died.