Court tosses Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers’ challenge of state, federal voter access actions

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal court has dismissed an attempt by conservative Pennsylvania lawmakers to overturn automatic voter registration, along with lawmakers’ other challenges to actions designed to boost voter access. Pennsylvania U.S. District Judge Jennifer Wilson wrote in her decision Tuesday that the lawmakers did not have legal standing in their filing. The lawsuit, filed by 24 Republican state lawmakers, challenged the legality of a 2021 executive order by President Joe Biden ordering federal agencies to consider ways to expand voter access. The lawsuit also challenged a state order regarding automatic voter registration and a directive that counties can’t reject registration if a driver’s license number or Social Security digits don’t match the government agency database.