Audit 2021

Envoy Sage Selected to Conduct Impartial Investigation of Pennsylvania’s Elections

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(Dubuque, IA) – Envoy Sage, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in research, investigation, program management, and crisis communications, announced earlier today that it has been selected by Pennsylvania State Senator Cris Dush (R-25) in consultation with Senate Republican leadership and members of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee to conduct a thorough investigation of Pennsylvania’s elections.

Based in Dubuque, Iowa, Envoy Sage’s team has decades of experience conducting investigations that are complex and large scale, regularly employing multi-discipline teams to do so, including analysts, technical professionals, and digital forensic experts who investigated countless matters of national significance throughout their careers.

Importantly, the company is well-suited to protect the personal information of voters, as they not only have handled sensitive information for government agencies, but also have kept classified information safe for the Department of Defense. Much of their team either previously or currently maintains high-level clearances to complete investigations for the most senior levels of government which required them to have the proper knowledge, skills, and experience handling evidence and preserving chain of custody.

“Envoy Sage is committed to conducting a fair, thorough, and impartial investigation into Pennsylvania’s elections,” said Steve Lahr, company President. “With decades of experience working under both Republican and Democrat Administrations at the federal level and no political affiliations clouding our judgement, we are entering into this project with no pre-conceived notions for what we will or will not find as we investigate the Commonwealth’s election systems and data. We understand that this objectivity is critical so that the Intergovernmental Operations Committee can use our results and recommendations as they craft future legislation to improve Pennsylvania’s elections.”

In addition to having no political associations, which includes refraining from actively supporting both current candidates and candidates who were on the 2020 or 2021 ballots in Pennsylvania, Envoy Sage is also contractually prohibited from engaging in any political or lobbying activities moving forward for the duration of the investigation, thereby ensuring that the process is impartial and fair.

The contract language sets the length the relationship between Envoy Sage and the Pennsylvania Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee at no more than six months, with an option to extend if both parties deem necessary.

At this point in time, Envoy Sage is to provide planning and consulting services necessary to continue the investigation, including recommendations on how best to review whatever information is ultimately received from the Pennsylvania Department of State on the State Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) system. The contract covers document analysis, consultation, review of election concerns and affidavits submitted to the committee, analysis of other election integrity initiatives across the nation, and more.

 

CONTACT:         Steve Lahr (Envoy Sage)
                                Jason Thompson (Senate Republicans)

Op-Ed: Don’t Be Fooled by Democrats’ Election Investigation Scare Tactics

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By Senator Cris Dush (R-Jefferson)

Since lawmakers voted to subpoena information from the state’s voter registration system two weeks ago, many Pennsylvania Democrat Leaders have made wild accusations about what will happen to this data when it is eventually turned over by the Department of State.

The Attorney General claims the subpoena will compromise the privacy rights of Pennsylvanians. Senate Democrats said private voting information would be released and personal information would be exposed.

The reality? None of this could be further from the truth

The politicians who are telling these tall tales know there is a better chance of a Pennsylvanian being struck by a meteor than having their personal information compromised by our election investigation. Unfortunately, many members of the media have bought into their false narrative and created doubts in the minds of good, honest citizens.

The reason why the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee subpoenaed this information is to cross match and verify whether or not our voter registration system has duplicate voters, dead voters, and/or illegal voters. Former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale – a Democrat – asked for the same information for the same purpose in 2019, when he documented major concerns with the SURE system and the existence of hundreds of thousands of problem records in the system.

Do you remember the outcry from Attorney General Shapiro, PA Senate Democrats, or the media about privacy concerns related to this request in 2019? Me neither.

But, what you may not know is that this same crowd prevented him from getting the records after realizing what he was going to find out. Will Governor Wolf and his administration ever let anyone outside his control check on registration integrity?

The truth is, the legislature has an impeccable record of protecting the personal information of Pennsylvanians.

Every time a constituent has an issue with PennDOT, they share their Driver License number with us. Every time a constituent has an issue with the Unemployment Compensation system, they share their Social Security information with us.

How many times has this information been compromised by Senate Republicans?

Zero.

The idea that this information will be jeopardized is simply not realistic. Our history and our track record bears out those imaginary concerns and improbable hypotheticals.

I have conducted investigations for a significant part of my adult life, both in the military and the private sector. I have yet to allow a single piece of sensitive information to fall into the wrong hands. I will not allow that streak to end now.

Senate Republicans have pledged to take every step necessary to protect this information. This includes insisting on contract language with potential vendors to ensure information security; forcing any vendor personnel who accesses this information to sign non-disclosure agreements under penalty of law; and making information security a key consideration as we decide which vendor to select.

The committee will do everything in its power to ensure the vendor that handles this information will keep private information just that – private.

Mark Twain once said it is easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled. That is exactly what Attorney General Shapiro and Senate Democrats are banking on.

My message to Pennsylvanians is this: don’t allow yourself to be fooled. Don’t buy into the disingenuous propaganda of politicians who are actively trying to shield our election system from transparency. Trust me to do exactly what I have been pledging since I took over this effort more than a month ago – to conduct an honest, responsible, secure investigation of our elections, with fidelity.

 

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Intergovernmental Operations Committee Announces New Election Integrity Investigation Website

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HARRISBURG – A day after the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted to issue a subpoena for information related to it election investigation, Chairman Senator Cris Dush (R-Jefferson) announced a new website today that details the committee’s efforts to restore faith in Pennsylvania’s election system.

The new website, www.PAelectioninvestigation.com, includes information on the committee’s investigative process, ways for Pennsylvanians to share first-hand election concerns, frequently asked questions about the investigation, hearing videos, recent news and more.

Since Senator Dush was appointed to lead the committee less than four weeks ago, the panel has held a hearing on election guidance and a voting meeting for the issuance of a subpoena. Senator Dush has also worked to identify and vet potential vendors to complete a thorough investigation of the state’s election system, and created a webpage for Pennsylvanians to report firsthand testimony regarding potential election law violations or irregularities.

 

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Senate Panel Votes to Issue a Subpoena for Election-Related Documents from Department of State

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HARRISBURG – To continue its legislative investigation into the integrity of recent elections, the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted today to issue subpoenas for a variety of different materials from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Committee Chairman Senator Cris Dush (R-Jefferson) invited Department of State officials to testify at a hearing last week to discuss controversial guidance issued to counties in the final weeks and days leading up to the 2020 General Election. The subpoenas were approved today after the Department refused to participate or answer questions posed by the committee.

The invitation to testify was extended more than a week in advance of the hearing.

“There was no good reason for our invitation to be ignored. We gave the Department of State more time to comply with our request than they gave counties to adjust to their last-second mandates before the 2020 General Election,” Dush said. “Subpoenas were not our first choice of action, but the refusal of the Wolf Administration to work with us in a bipartisan manner left us no other options to get the answers Pennsylvanians deserve.”

The subpoenas will include all guidance issued to counties, as well as all communications between the Department of State and county election officials. All training materials, copies of all guidance and directives to counties are also included.

In addition to subpoenaing information pertaining to the Department’s controversial guidance, the committee also approved subpoenas for key voter data, including lists of all registered voters, voter activity, the method by which voters cast their ballots, and changes in voter registration.

The registration and voter lists will help paint a more complete picture of Pennsylvania’s election system to allow for positive changes to existing law, Dush said.

Key Points

 

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Media Advisory – Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Plans Subpoena Vote September 15

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HARRISBURG – The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee will meet on Wednesday, September 15, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 8E-B of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg to vote on subpoenas as part of the committee’s investigation into recent elections.

Committee Chair Senator Cris Dush (R-Jefferson) said the subpoenas are expected to include communications and other election records from the Pennsylvania Department of State. The meeting follows a hearing earlier this week in which Department of State officials refused to testify.

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Work Begins on Election Integrity Investigation – Department of State Refuses to Cooperate

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HARRISBURG – As the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee began its investigation into the 2020 General Election and the 2021 Primary Election today, key witness testimony was missing due to the refusal of Department of State officials to participate.

The Pennsylvania Department of State was invited more than a week ago to provide testimony regarding the timing and impact of election guidance issued to counties, including controversial guidance issued on the eve of the 2020 General Election that provided a partisan advantage for Democrats and directly contradicted a Pennsylvania Supreme Court opinion.

“The power to issue a subpoena isn’t unlimited, and we have to ensure sound legal footing before we go out on that limb,” Dush said. “In addition, we have to be ready, willing and able, to actually review and utilize meaningfully any information that we receive in response to our subpoenas. Having a hearing like the one we’re having today allows us the room to satisfy all of those considerations.”

Fulton County Commissioner Stuart Ulsh testified the guidance was “overwhelming for a small county with a small staff” and caused a significant burden on county election officials.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) shared similar sentiments in written testimony provided to the committee: “In the months leading up to the November 2020 election, counties struggled to keep up with the ongoing (election-related) litigation….and with the guidance issued by the Department of State.” CCAP went on, stating that the counties “also experienced confusion because it was often unclear what statutory basis the DOS guidance had, and how much was truly guidance and/or best practices.”

According to CCAP, “this ongoing uncertainty in the weeks leading up to the November election left numerous questions and anxiety and forced counties to pivot multiple times and up to the very last minute, while also managing the pressures of a highly visible presidential election in the middle of a pandemic.”

The public hearing kicked off the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee’s investigation into the state’s election system.

 

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Invites Public to Submit Sworn Testimony in Election Investigation

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HARRISBURG – The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee has created a special webpage for Pennsylvania residents to submit sworn testimony regarding problems they have personally experienced with the state’s election system, according to Committee Chair Senator Cris Dush (R-Jefferson).

As part of the committee’s comprehensive election integrity investigation, Dush is encouraging voters to come forward if they have witnessed voter irregularities or other election improprieties firsthand.

The information will help lawmakers develop potential improvements to state law to bolster election security. Pennsylvanians can share their stories and contact information at: https://intergovernmental.pasenategop.com/electioninvestigation/.

Dush noted that testimony is only being accepted from Pennsylvania residents, and the infractions must have been witnessed in person or affected the state resident personally. In addition, members of the public should submit testimony on the webpage only if they are comfortable signing an affidavit and potentially testifying under oath at a Senate committee hearing under penalty of perjury.

In addition, Dush said his committee is in the process of scheduling a hearing to be held with the Department of State to examine the impact of last-second guidance sent to counties before the 2020 General Election.

The new webpage and upcoming hearing are part of a much broader investigation into the 2020 General Election and 2021 Primary Election. Dush announced today that the committee plans to hold public hearings, create a publicly accessible webpage with information and updates about the investigation, and request documents from counties and the Department of State to conduct a comprehensive election investigation – including potentially using the committee’s subpoena powers.

CONTACT: Jason Thompson

Senator Cris Dush Issues Statement on Election Integrity Review

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“The people of Pennsylvania are experiencing a crisis of confidence in our elections, and I take my newfound responsibility to conduct an election integrity investigation very seriously.

“There have been stories that Senate Pro Tempore Corman has moved this investigation to me for the purpose of killing it.  The opposite is true.  We should have been having hearings and moving toward a more formalized plan to conduct an investigation weeks ago.  My team and I are in the process of getting things organized and will work with Senate Leadership to get it done.

“The purpose of this investigation is to uncover information which is necessary for the legislature to potentially take future legislative action. I have collected evidence and conducted numerous criminal and civil investigations during my career in the military and as an insurance investigator. While a legislative investigation has differences from these types of investigations, many of the same skills apply. I look forward to putting my years of experience with legal cases, court proceedings and evidence collection to good use in restoring faith in our elections.

“I want to make it clear to the public that I will be treating evidence as evidence and not as a means of obtaining publicity.  You may be frustrated with not hearing updates as quickly as you would like, but there is an investigative need to hold that evidence close until the review is completed.

“To the Attorney General, Governor Wolf and the Secretary of State I want to convey this message; I will not stand idly by if you threaten county and other officials and stand in the way of transparency and legislative oversight of our elections. The Senate has the authority to conduct this investigation and we will do so in a responsible manner.”