18-year-old says voter registration receipt was altered to say ‘socialist’ at local DMV

Zahra Evans was excited to get her state ID ahead of starting college later in August. But after a troubling encounter at a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation office in Butler County, that excitement quickly faded.

Evans, who traveled from Allegheny County for shorter lines, said she registered to vote at the DMV last Thursday while getting that ID. She selected “Democratic” on the digital registration system before receiving her new state ID and a printed receipt.

But when she looked at that receipt, she noticed something unusual.

“I also received my receipt for registering to vote, which was folded over, and my party affiliation was crossed off and the word ‘Socialist’ was written instead,” Evans said.

The experience left her stunned.

“Initially I was confused, but then as I thought about it more, this isn’t right,” she said. “He shouldn’t be taking that away from me or anyone.”

Evans contacted her state representative, Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, who called the incident “a level of voter intimidation.”

“Unfortunately, this is an example where it went too far,” Venkat said. “It has real consequences when we try to encourage people to register and vote.”

Evans has filed a formal complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General. When asked about the complaint, a spokesperson told Channel 11, “Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on the existence or status of any investigation.”

Channel 11 also reached out to PennDOT as the employer of the worker.

“PennDOT is aware and is actively investigating the situation,” a PennDOT spokesperson said in a statement. “We take all concerns very seriously and will respond accordingly.”

Evans said the incident hasn’t changed her commitment to vote — but she wants to make sure no one else goes through the same experience. She will continue sharing her story along with Venkat.

“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue,” Venkat said. “This is a question of who we are as a state and as a country — and what we want to be in terms of having everyone who is eligible to participate in the democratic process do so.”

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