As governor, could Doug Mastriano force voters to re-register?

Scholars who specialize in election law said they had never heard of a state doing anything similar recently — probably because there are laws designed to prevent it.

It is certainly barred by the National Voter Registration Act, at least for federal elections, and likely runs into significant protections under the federal — and possibly the state — constitution and laws, constitutional law scholars say.

“No, a state couldn’t just unilaterally require everyone to re-register for federal elections,” said Edward Foley, a law professor at The Ohio State University who directs the school’s election law program.

Federal law aside, Pennsylvania law says no registered voter can be required to register again while they live at the same address.