It is Benjamin Disraeli that is credited with the line, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his plan to implement automatic voter registration last September, he was criticized by Republican opponents such as former President Donald Trump, the conservative online outlet, The Federalist, and members of the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus.

“Pennsylvania is at it again! The Radical Left Governor, Josh Shapiro, has just announced a switch to Automatic Voter Registration, a disaster for the Election of Republicans, including your favorite President, ME!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“Automatic voter registration (AVR) may sound obscure, but it’s a fast track to permanent Democrat power — so, naturally, activists are working around the clock to pass it in the states and Congress,” wrote Hayden Ludwig, Director of Policy Research at the right-leaning Restoration of America.

“Shapiro’s eagerness to pick up (former Gov. Tom) Wolf’s mantle of running roughshod over legislative powers is disappointing. The lack of election integrity reforms, including voter ID, continues to fuel voter frustration and this further undermines voter confidence,” said state Rep. Dawn Keefer (R-York).

With days remaining until the 2024 Pennsylvania presidential primary, the numbers belie any GOP fears of the measure strongly supporting Democratic efforts.

From September 19, 2023 to April 13, 2024, the Commonwealth approved 73,964 new voter registrations and the split – fairly even.

Republicans saw 34.6 percent of those registrations go their way – a total of 25,833 – and finished second in a three-horse race.

Other registrations, including minor parties and those opting for independent status, actually received the largest number of registrations with 25,833 or 34.9 percent. Democrats got a 30.5% share of the new AVRs at 22,530.

During the same time period two years ago, the state approved 50,809 that were slightly in favor of Democrats (17,815) and others (17,332), while GOP registrations were third (15,662).

While there were voices that called into question the legality of Shapiro’s action, most critics chose the angle of Republicans losing out on registration numbers.

Pennsylvania’s presidential primary is Tuesday, April 23.