The former Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes did not resign from his position last month. He was fired based on his e-mail to Gov. Tom Wolf.

On October 11, Cortez wrote an e-mail to Gov. Wolf. He stated that he could not understand the governor’s decision of forcing him to vacate his position.

In his e-mail Cortez told the governor, “I have done a great deal of soul searching in the last 24 hours. I remained at lost [sic] to understand why you would dispense with my services without sharing with me concerns you had about my professional performance or personal life."

The former secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of State added, “I wish I had that opportunity.”

Last month, the governor’s office announced Cortes’ departure in a personnel update that focuses on his replacement, interim Secretary Robert Torres. It only stated that Cortes is a Democrat who also served under former Gov. Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2010.

In 2015, Gov. Wolf nominated Cortes as Secretary of State when he took office. The governor is also a Democrat. According to Philly.com, he refused to say whether Cortes resigned or he forced him out of his position. Gov. Wolf said he does not comment on personnel matters. His spokesman, J.J. Abbot also declined to comment on the issue.

Report regarding illegal voters in Pennsylvania

In September, Cortes was in hot seat due to a report dozens of noncitizens were allowed to register to vote in Pennsylvania. A Philadelphia election official, Al Schmidt disclosed that there was a glitch in the State’s electronic driver’s license system.

As Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of State, Cortes is the top election official in the State. Prior to his departure, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe and 15 of his colleagues expressed their concerns regarding the report that noncitizens were offered to register to vote while applying or renewing their driver’s licenses.

In a statement last month, Rep. Metcalfe also commented that he was puzzled by Cortes’ resignation or “what’s going on.” The lawmaker said, “We’re hoping to get answers to very important questions” that matters that matters to Pennsylvania voters.

Additionally, Rep. Metcalfe said, “Cortes knew this was an issue. It is interesting that his resignation occurred within a week of our letter to him about this serious issue.”

Cortes’ departure happened weeks after the report about the illegal voters in Pennsylvania. Many speculated that the issue was probably the primary reason he was pushed out from his position.