Updates will provide important reminders to voters, registration statistics and information pertaining to specific election preparations, procedures and progress.

"Information is critical to preparation," Cortes said. "These updates will empower voters with a deeper understanding of the electoral process and a heightened awareness of their rights, roles and responsibilities as members of a democracy."

A record-setting 8.73 million Pennsylvanians are registered to vote as of yesterday. That number has skyrocketed as counties continue processing unprecedented numbers of applications postmarked by the Oct. 6 voter registration deadline. Of that total, 4.4 million voters registered as Democrats; 3.2 million as Republicans; 458,617 under no affiliation; and 568,065 as other. There were 8.36 million registered Pennsylvania voters prior to the 2004 General Election.

The secretary again assured Pennsylvania's voters of the safeguards and deterrents in place to ensure that only qualified electors are registered and cast ballots in the upcoming election. The general election will be the 12th election that Cortes will have overseen as Pennsylvania's chief elections official.

"Protecting the sanctity of the electoral process is no less important today than it was in the nation's first election nearly 220 years ago," Cortes said. "Today, laws, technology and numerous safeguards make it virtually impossible for fraudulent activity to mar our most fundamental right and freedom as citizens."

Three of the primary safeguards, Cortes added, are the database that helps stop fraud before it has the chance to start; the laws that require voter identification and signature verification; and the laws that criminalize voter fraud.

Pennsylvania's Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) also prevents voter fraud through a system of checks that verifies an applicant's driver's license or Social Security number. Since the 2007 general election, SURE has rejected more than 200,000 applications for various reasons, most of which were duplicate registrations.

An applicant's status is also cross-checked with records filed with the state departments of Health and Transportation. In addition, county registers of wills notify election boards when an individual dies, so a deceased voter's status can be canceled.

Election Day identification and signature verification requirements further deter ineligible voters from casting ballots. In Pennsylvania, all first-time voters must present an approved form of identification before voting. All voters must match their signatures to the signatures in the poll book when they go to vote.

Under Pennsylvania law, voter fraud can result in a variety of offenses, the most severe of which is a felony-three conviction, which carries a fine of up to $15,000 and as many as seven years in prison. Federal law carries as much as $10,000 in fines and as many as five years in prison.

County elections officials also review applications for administrative completeness, including handwriting on multiple forms, missing or improper signatures and other indicators of possible fraud. Moreover, the SURE system uses national change-of-address and cross-county-transfer programs to identify transient electors.

If the authenticity of an application is called into question, counties use the provided contact information to notify applicants. The counties also work with eligible applicants to correct erroneous or missing information. In cases of suspected or substantiated fraud, county election officials work directly with the appropriate law enforcement agency to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute violators.

For more information about voter rights, responsibilities and preparations, visit VotesPA.com, or call 1-877-VOTESPA (868-3772). For current and archived voter registration statistics, visit http://www.dos.state.pa.us/  and click on the Voter Registration Statistics link in the "Look What's Hot" box on the right-hand side of the department's homepage.