Pennsylvania Senate committee to hold hearings on its audit of the 2020, 2021 elections

A state Senate committee plans to forge ahead with hearings in early spring on any information discovered in a controversial audit seeking to uncover irregularities in Pennsylvania’s 2020 elections and last year’s primary, a Republican spokeswoman said Thursday.

The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee would conduct the hearings on any findings presented by Envoy Sage, the Florida firm awarded a $270,250 no-bid contract in November. The firm has reviewed emails that the Senate committee received from voters who alleged problems in the two elections, said Erica Clayton Wright, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Hempfield.

The committee received 700 emails, but it was not known how many of the claims it has analyzed.

Steve Lahr, president of Envoy Sage, could not be reached for comment.

Shortly after landing the contract last year, he discussed in broad terms his company’s planned investigation. He was joined by Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, who is chairman of the Senate committee that sought the election audit. The contract prohibits the company from releasing any information to the public without approval from Republican leaders.

Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, a member of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Envoy Sage has been unable to conduct a complete audit and analysis of the elections because the state attorney general and Department of State have filed court challenges blocking attempts by Dush and Sen. President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, to gain access to voters’ private information — such as truncated Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. Subpoenas were issued after counties refused to cooperate with the Senate committee’s demands for voting information.

The Commonwealth Court conducted a hearing Dec. 15 but has not yet ruled on the challenges, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office said.

Envoy Sage said in its contract, which the Tribune-Review received through the state’s Right To Know law, that it would devote 1,500 hours to the audit. The pay rate of those working on the project was redacted from the contract released by the state.

Senate Republicans awarded Envoy Sage a six-month contract after former President Trump criticized Corman, who is running for governor, for not supporting an audit of the presidential election. Trump lost to Joe Biden by about 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Biden collected 306 electoral votes, needing only 270 to win. Trump received 232.

Trump repeatedly has claimed the election was stolen through widespread fraud, at times claiming voting machines were rigged to have votes cast for him tallied instead for Biden. No court has upheld his election challenges, in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up several cases.

In February 2021, Pennsylvania completed a statewide risk-limiting audit pilot of the presidential election, reviewing more than 45,000 randomly selected ballots from 63 of 67 counties. The results “provided strong evidence of the accuracy” of the outcome of the November 2020 election.

Under the terms of the audit contract, Envoy Sage is to finish its work and produce a report by May 15. Republicans may extend the agreement “if necessary.”

While the bigger battle over the election audit is being waged in Commonwealth Court, the Fulton County Board of Elections is scheduled to meet Monday for an inspection of its voting machines.

The Department of State had decertified the voting machines in Fulton County because they were opened in December 2020 by Wake Technology Services Inc., a West Chester-based information technology firm. Fulton County was directed to buy or lease new machines but sued the state because of the decertification. The Attorney General’s Office is representing the secretary of state in the case.