Swing State RINO Rep. Tom Mehaffie Pushes Meaningless Voter ID Amendment (In-Name-Only) As Trojan Horse For Democrats To Undermine Election Integrity In PA
How SB-224 & Gov. Josh Shapiro's Favorite RINO Rep. Tom Mehaffie's Faux "Voter ID" Amendment (In-Name-Only) Lays The Groundwork For Democrats To Undermine Safe & Fair Elections In Pennsylvania
2024 Election Chaos in PA
In the great Keystone State of Pennsylvania, we find ourselves at a pivotal crossroads in the ongoing story of our Commonwealth and country. For nearly four years, we have observed and endured rapid societal decay and stagnation. As we enter the 2024 election cycle, every generation of Pennsylvanians on both sides of the aisle and everywhere in between are exhausted due to the daily hardships and harsh realities created by the Democrat Party's America Last Agenda.
Hardworking taxpayers are tired of feeling the pain of "Bidenomics" and the so-called "Green" Agenda forced on them by the Democrat career politicians in Harrisburg, which has brought massive inflation and rising costs for their daily necessities. Over how they will scrape together the small fortune required to pay their utility bills, feed their children, and drive them to school or sports practices. Middle-class moms and dads are fed up with the obscene adult content pushed on their children in failing "woke" public schools and fearing for their lives because murderous criminals are roaming the streets of our once beautiful and safe cities or walking down the main streets of rural suburbs. This is not the Pennsylvania they know or want.
Now more than ever, people vividly remember how different their lives were when Donald J. Trump lived in the White House and his America First policies were giving them a plethora of avenues to prosper. This terrifies the political establishment classes in both parties and the special interests who own them. Over the last several months, we have seen firsthand that they are willing to do anything, including engaging in unprecedented election interference, to stop Trump from returning to the Oval Office. Moreover, the radical Democrats and their allies are equally desperate to ensure that all of the new generation of populist republican candidates he has inspired cannot be elected up and down the ballot across our Commonwealth. All of the signs are out in the open if you look hard enough.
It's no secret that the issue of election integrity has been a heavy weight on the minds of millions of voters across our country since 2020, especially for those of us who live in Pennsylvania, where reports of election irregularities were rampant. Regardless of how the Democrats and establishment RINOs want to label those who care deeply about these critical matters, none of their mean and explicative remarks make the need to address them any less valid or legitimate. It’s also hypocritical because they were the ones crying “Russia Russia Russia” the loudest after Trump defeated Hillary in 2016.
That said, our role as citizens entails pointing out the failures of our elected officials as they happen. Until sufficient solutions are brought forth to ensure the many problems surrounding this issue are thoroughly eliminated, we must continue to talk about it. This is not a partisan issue but a fundamental tenet of our constitutional republic and the linchpin that upholds the people's faith and support of the democratic process. It is the assurance that our voice matters, our choices are respected, and that our government is truly of, by, and for the American people.
Therefore, all Pennsylvania residents have a right to know about the present efforts being made by the Democrats and RINO Republicans to further undermine the integrity and security of our elections.
Gov. Shapiro’s Unconstitutional Automatic Voter Registration
Unfortunately, uneasiness about the integrity of our elections was heightened among countless GOP voters across the Commonwealth again in September when Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro announced he was going above the state legislature to execute a unilateral order to implement Automatic Voter Registration in Pennsylvania, blatantly violating the PA Constitution.
On the surface, the headline is that Shapiro follows the playbook that his predecessor, Governor Tom Wolf, wrote about tyranny. Still, one must consider this move's clever timing and disastrous potential implications, especially considering the harsh reality that millions of immigrants are illegally pouring into our country and Commonwealth due to President Biden’s failure to secure America’s southern border and unwillingness to address the massive humanitarian crisis his inaction has created.
Don’t get me wrong, every legal taxpaying resident of our Commonwealth should absolutely exercise the full use of their rights and take their responsibility as US citizens seriously enough to participate in our representative democracy. However, the process must be done correctly and carried out for the right reasons. Certainly not, because a power hungry career politician and his party are worried about securing enough votes to ensure victory in an upcoming election cycle, which they will likely lose.
At any rate, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s gross executive overreach was noticed on the national level by high profile Republicans across the country, most notably the 2024 GOP frontrunner, and party leader himself, President Donald J. Trump.
Despite President Trump’s calls for GOP leadership to act quickly and aggressively in order to mitigate this issue, as expected, we heard crickets from US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and mere lip service from Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel.
Thankfully, members of the PA House Freedom Caucus were highly responsive and threatened to take legal action.
Fortunately, as we await the PA House Freedom Caucus’ efforts to challenge this in court, it appears Shapiro’s automatic voter registration initiative has not panned out the way he and his fellow Democrats had hoped.
According to Early Vote Action founder, the GOP’s most valuable and hardworking activist, and America’s foremost leading expert on everything elections, Scott Presler, this is the data for the first three of weeks of “AVR” since Shapiro’s implementation.
Undoubtedly, this is great news for Republican voters across the Commonwealth. It indicates how fed up new voters are with the Democrat Party and the terrible policies mentioned earlier. However, Shapiro’s automatic voter registration could still harm the possibility of electing GOP candidates in the future, as it is likely only a piece to a larger and more intricate puzzle. As cynical as that may sound, it must be said because there are multiple pieces of Democrat legislation that if passed could be used in conjunction with Shapiro’s automatic voter registration to seriously undermine the security and integrity of the 2024 election cycle and all those far into the future.
One is straightforward: the failed Democrat-authored House Bill 279 which would amend state law to grant a driver's license without a Social Security number. Obviously, this could cause many problems when stacked upon automatic voter registration.
On top of that, there is also Senate Bill 224, which could prove to be devastating for the future of our election process just on its own, and especially when combined with the former bill and Shapiro’s Automatic Voter Registration. Interestingly, within SB-224 is a “Voter ID” amendment authored by Rep. Tom Mehaffie (PA-106), who is well-known as Harrisburg’s biggest and most corrupt RINO with close ties to Governor Josh Shapiro, the Democrats, along with the radical left-wing special interests.
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SB-224 and RINO Rep. Tom Mehaffie’s Faux Voter ID Amendment
There has been a lot of talk in Harrisburg about SB-224 which was initially proposed by Senator Argall to move up the 2024 primary date. PA Senate Republicans have argued that by moving the primary to March 19th, this bill will give primary voters a more substantial say in determining the presidential nominee in both parties. But the fact is that voters already know who the two major party nominees will be at this point.
On one side, you have incumbent President Joe Biden, who will stumble his way into being the 2024 Democrat nominee so long as he is still living and breathing come the time of the primary election. While President Donald J. Trump is on track to sweep the 2024 GOP primary and take the nomination with ease, not only has he raised significantly more funds than any other candidate, he is also more beloved than ever within the party base, and attracting new independent voters everyday.
Trump’s overwhelming support is indicated in recent nationwide and Pennsylvania polling, showing he holds an insurmountable lead against his opponents. Those who say or somehow believe otherwise that any other GOP primary candidates have a chance are either naive or lying to themselves. I don't know who needs to hear this...but at this point, the 2024 GOP presidential primary contest has become a glorified clown show between has-beens, clout-chasers, and neocons for second place.
Besides, the timing of this bill couldn't be any worse. Moving up the primary election to an earlier date at this short notice will cause unnecessary stress and chaos for county commissioners and poll workers across the Commonwealth. It will also make their jobs exceedingly more complex, which could harm the process.
That said, what PA voters must know about is the garbage that was pork rolled into SB-224, which is far more concerning than the proposed earlier primary date and proves to be potentially devastating to our elections' sanctity, integrity, and security.
As you can see, SB-224 is horrible, basically ACT-77 all over again, potentially creating numerous avenues for fraud and unaccountability. If passed, the changes that would go into effect immediately are enough to seriously damage the security and integrity of the upcoming election cycle.
While defenders of this bill would cite Mehaffie’s Voter ID Amendment, which doesn’t go into effect until 2025, as its saving grace, still, anyone who takes the time to read through it will see that Rep. Mehaffie's amendment has such loose requirements and ridiculous exceptions that using the term "Voter ID Amendment" to define it is absolutely meaningless.
For example, according to a facebook post by PA Republican State Rep. Stephanie Scialabba:
“SB224 came to the House “clean,” meaning it was going to change the primary date for next year’s election and nothing else. After it got to the House, the bill was altered substantially. We ended up with a bill that claimed to have Voter ID, but did not. In fact, it:
- Repealed existing criteria such as audits and the limited identification required for first-time voters.
- Allowed voters to sign an affirmation that they are who they say they are.
- Permitted electors to vouch for the identity of voters.
- Let voters vote with a provisional ballot if they failed to prove their identity.
- Provides for counties to use provisional ballots as “backups” when mail-in ballots are requested.
- Grants individuals the ability to appear in person to receive a ballot until 5 p.m. on the Saturday prior to an election.
- Eliminates the remaining security provisions of Act 77.
- Requires ballot curing for rejected ballots with follow-up notice attempts to voters running until noon on the 6th day following an election.
- Increases the petition cost for citizens to file challenges to the count of ballot boxes or results.
- Provides for pre-canvassing of mail-in and absentee ballots three days prior to the election and a final canvassing the following day.
- Automatically enrolls voters who request a mail-in ballot once to receive a mail-in ballot forever, in some cases following death.
That doesn’t sound like authentic “Voter ID “ in any shape or form.
Further, a WITF article cited analysis done by Spotlight PA and Votebeat:
A wide range of documents would meet the proposed requirement, including any PennDOT ID for up to 12 months past its expiration date, and a student or work ID, according to draft language viewed by Spotlight PA and Votebeat. If the voter lacks a photo ID, up to 13 types of documents — including a utility bill, paystub, or lease — could be used as a substitute.
Considering the bigger picture, this bill and Mehaffie's faux amendment attached as a shield might be the goal of the Democrats and their allies. Especially considering their other legislation waiting in the pipeline, like HB-229 mentioned earlier, along with Governor Shapiro’s unconstitutional automatic voter registration.
All three pieces combined have the potential to seriously undermine the integrity of every future P.A. election and make it very difficult to elect Republicans. Thankfully, SB-224 has gone back and forth and still hasn’t passed both the House and Senate to reach the Governor's desk.
However, failed bills in Harrisburg, like swampy Washington DC, have a way of coming back up again, just as this bill has over the last few weeks. Therefore, PA voters must continue to monitor this process closely, hold their state elected officials accountable, tell them not to vote yes, and inform them that you know what it will ultimately do.
Turning Pennsylvania into a failed blue state like California is ultimately the overarching goal of Shapiro, the Democrats, and the radical left-wing special interests who pull their strings. That is why all PAGOP voters, particularly those in the 106th district, must be made aware of Rep. Tom Mehaffie's sinister role in this sick game orchestrated by the Democrats. All roads lead back to the same far-left puppetmasters who own them as well as him.
The Democrats’ favorite RINO in Harrisburg, Rep. Tom Mehaffie
Interestingly, many Republican House Reps remarked that SB-224 was first introduced in September and has since languished for a month in the PA House of Representatives. During that time, six printer numbers were used, and it has been amended multiple times.
According to GOP Rep. Seth Grove: "The Last few amendments were all for politics."
By this, he is referring to the faux Voter ID amendment that Rep. Tom Mehaffie authored to quote his own words, "put the issue to bed."
Indeed, Mehaffie is correct that there are MANY things about SB-224 and his Voter ID amendment that the vast majority of Republican constituents and voters across the Commonwealth will NOT like, but what he fails to mention is that the only folks who would genuinely like it and benefit from it are DEMOCRATS.
This is by design.
For example, according to a recent Spotlight PA Article:
The language considered by the state House this week was authored by moderate state Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R., Dauphin). He told Votebeat and Spotlight PA he bounced the language off both Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery).
“I believe in moving the primary,” Mehaffie told Votebeat and Spotlight PA. “And I also believe that this voter ID bill is a great compromise.”
For those who have been paying attention, it’s definitely not surprising that Mehaffie would run his amendment’s “language” off of his buddy Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democrat colleagues across the aisle. With how often Shapiro and his fellow Democrats rely on their favorite Republican (In Name Only) to stand with them on nearly every issue, why wouldn’t he?
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Aside from the fact that Tom Mehaffie has spent his entire legislative career standing in lockstep with the Democrats and supporting all of their radical far-left wing priorities, it’s critical to note that he has been especially useful to them this year above all the others. How did Rep. Mehaffie choose to begin 2023 again?
First, he voted to give himself a hefty pay raise with your taxpayer dollars, probably to pay for that brand-new luxurious beach mansion he just built. Then, when it was time to go back to do the work that he was re-elected and given a generous raise to do; he refused to return for weeks. When a majority of 101 signatures was needed to force the House back into session, Mehaffie abandoned his GOP colleagues and was the only Republican who refused to sign.
Rep. Mehaffie capped it all off by voting Mark Rozzi, a Democrat for Speaker of the House, then handing the Democrats the House majority, and blocking Voter ID in the process. While his antics got him thrown out of his Harrisburg capitol office by the PA GOP House caucus, his holdout and refusal to work allowed his fellow puppet of the teacher's unions and self-described "Moderate" Josh Shapiro to begin his reign as Governor by going on a pointless listening tour to raise money and chase clout.
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However, by holding out, along with every Democrat in the House, Mehaffie blocked Voter ID from being weighed in on by voters during the May special elections, which the Democrats went on to win. Sadly, that would have made a serious difference in genuinely addressing the issue of election integrity correctly so we could adequately "put the issue to bed," as he is pretending to do now for political expedience.
Speaking of political expedience, here is Mehaffie touting his Voter ID Amendment (In-Name-Only) to his rather dismal and unimpressive number of Facebook followers.
Make no mistake, there are three reasons why Mehaffie chose to propose this Faux Voter ID Amendment:
TO PUT TO BED HIS OWN GUILT for betraying his GOP Colleagues, Constituents, and Party.
To CLEAR HIS NAME by misleading his GOP constituents and voters across the state with Voter ID (In-Name-Only) to make up for blocking REAL Voter ID, which would have made a difference when it really counted earlier this year.
TO TAKE MONEY from the radical left-wing special interests who own him and perpetually fund his re-election. However, they have to know he is still 100% loyal to them and their Pennsylvania Last agenda, so they give him the money he needs to run again.
Don't be fooled. Rep. Tom Mehaffie doesn't care about the security and integrity of our elections. If he did, he would have stood with his GOP colleagues, constituents, and voters across the Commonwealth earlier this year, returned to work, elected a Republican as Speaker of the House instead of a Democrat, and ensured that voters could weigh in on deciding genuine Voter ID guidelines that could be implemented well in advance of this upcoming election cycle to ease their concerns. But sadly, Mehaffie is a pretender.
A perfect example occurred this past summer when GOP activist Scott Presler held a grassroots voter registration drive outside the Jason Aldean concert at Hershey Park Stadium in my hometown of Hershey, PA. Unfortunately, despite the event being held in his own district, State Rep. Tom Mehaffie was not in attendance, nor did he attempt to enlist volunteers to help the hardest-working and most effective GOP organizer in American politics grow our party and the conservative movement. I know that because I was there.
At any rate, I was delighted to assist my friend, Scott, in helping to organize and partake in this excellent cause outside the same stadium where I spent every Friday night for four years under the lights as captain of the football team at Hershey High School.
Whether Mehaffie was too busy at his fancy new beach house or didn't care enough to bother lending his precious time to participate in a worthy cause in his district doesn't matter. The bottom line is that the event was successful, and many new GOP voters were registered, no thanks to him. All the credit goes to Scott Presler for his huge heart, legendary work ethic, and dedication to saving our country. It was my pleasure to play a small part and work with all the fantastic patriots who came out that day.
There is nothing more important than growing the Republican Party to a new generation of voters, which is paramount in the fight to save our Commonwealth and country. Opportunistic career politicians of the past like Tom Mehaffie couldn't care less about what “woke” far-left policies are doing to our communities. That's why he supports them. It's also why he must be replaced by a real Republican in 2024.
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GAME ON IN PA-106!
In the final analysis, our commonwealth is on a dangerous path because of the radical Democrat agenda, their failing policies, and the leftist special interests and woke corporations who fund them. Ahead of the 2024 election, the number one goal of every Republican must be to put our state back on freedom’s road to progress and prosperity.
To do so, Pennsylvanians need to build a bench of bold conservative leaders in Harrisburg and enact smart policies aimed to unleash our economy and energy sector, permanently remove the woke leftist agenda from our schools and establish total school choice for parents, re-establish law and order and sanity in our state, restore confidence in our institutions and election process and ultimately ensure the survival of our God-given freedoms, civil liberties, and timeless American values.
However, at the end of the day, none of this will ever come to fruition in our state, so long as we still have cancers in the Republican Party like Representative Tom Mehaffie directly working against these efforts while strengthening the Democrat Party’s vicious assault on our very way of life.
While Rep. Mehaffie has not yet announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination in the 2024 primary contest, his actions indicate it is coming. As Otto von Bismarck once remarked, “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.” This rings especially true in the case of Mehaffie’s most recent efforts to mislead his constituents and GOP voters across the state with his latest political stunt. However, like the man (and RINO) himself, Mehaffie's amendment is Voter ID IN NAME ONLY.
Sadly, Representative Mehaffie has repeatedly proven he is not up to his job, as doing so would disobey Governor Shapiro, the Democrats and his leftist backers. But the good and decent hardworking taxpayers in Pennsylvania’s 106th legislative district deserve a fighter in Harrisburg, and Mehaffie’s GOP colleagues deserve a solid and loyal ally in the battle for the future of our state.
Mr. Mehaffie has two options: consider formally changing his party affiliation to (D) or prepare to lose his seat to a REAL Republican in the 2024 Pennsylvania primary. After all, Rep. Tom Mehaffie isn’t one, so his seat is as wide open as Joe Biden’s chair at the resolute desk.
Whether or not the primary date changes, I am confident his challenger will be ready to work relentlessly to earn every vote in Pennsylvania’s 106th district.
The best is yet to come.