Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano announced Wednesday that he will lead an investigation into the state’s election system, saying it will “go a long way to restore trust.” In his capacity as chairperson of the state Senate’s Intergovernmental Operations Committee, Mastriano sent letters to Pennsylvania counties requesting information needed for his investigation. Pennsylvania now follows Arizona in efforts to examine the results of last year’s election results, amid concerns about voting irregularities and fraud, and to try to ensure systems are secure for future balloting. Much of the concern about fraud centers on mail-in ballots. In 2020, there were 2.7 million mail-in ballots cast, compared to 263,000 in 2016. Mastriano said the goals of the probe are to restore faith in the integrity of our system, confirm the effectiveness of existing legislation on the governance of elections, and identify areas for legislative reform. Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senator Anthony H. Williams, the Democratic Whip and Democratic Chair of the State Government Committee, sent a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, saying they believe the move is “inappropriate and misguided.”