spot_imgspot_img

Defective ballot fight heats up amid U.S. Senate recount

spot_img

(The Center Square) – The state and national Republican parties told local officials to scrap defective ballots as the U.S. Senate race recount gets underway on Monday.

In a letter to the election boards in Bucks and Montgomery counties, party chairs said “enough is enough” and accused commissioners there of bolstering U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr.’s “election denial” by violating a state Supreme Court ruling.

The tense words come after both counties agreed to count ballots with incorrect or missing dates despite state law deeming such votes invalid.

The 4-3 ruling issued in September reversed a lower court decision that said tossing misdated ballots, as stipulated in state law, was unconstitutional. In the opinion, the majority rejected weighing in because the underlying legal challenge was only filed against two of the state’s 67 counties, Allegheny and Philadelphia.

Since the case’s merits were not litigated, the plaintiffs – including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Interest Law Center – are free to refile the complaint.

During a Nov. 14 election board hearing, Bucks County Commission Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia reiterated her disagreement with the high court’s decision before voting to count roughly 400 ballots with dating errors.

“I think we all know that precedent by a court does not matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws anytime they want,” she said. “So for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention.”

As of Monday, less than 18,000 votes separate Republican challenger Dave McCormick and incumbent Democrat Casey. The narrow margin triggered an automatic recount on Thursday, which counties have until Nov. 26 to finish.

McCormick’s campaign has legally challenged the deficient ballots and asked the high court to reaffirm its September ruling. Tallies currently include ballots with missing or incorrect dates and signatures, pushing Casey ahead of McCormick by 2,250 votes in Bucks County.

Even so, the Republican campaign says there are not enough votes left in the state to overcome the gap. Chief Strategist Mark Harris said Casey’s decision to opt for the recount, estimated to cost $1 million, won’t change things.

Multiple media outlets, including The Associated Press, reached the same conclusion on Nov. 7 when declaring the former hedge fund CEO turned Republican nominee the winner. Casey has since refused to concede and opted for his right to a recount.

The campaign estimates it legally challenged roughly 1,500 undated ballots and a few thousand attributed to unregistered voters. Harris said, despite the utmost confidence in McCormick’s victory, allowing county boards of election to count invalid votes would be akin to “tying four arms behind our backs.”

“Even if they won and upended everything we know about Pennsylvania elections, we would still be leading by a real and significant and unturnable margin,” Harris said. “No matter how they slice it, more people voted for Dave McCormick than Bob Casey.”

President-elect Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris by 267 votes in the county, a narrow upset that signaled the Republican’s broader success across the state.

State law requires mail-in ballots to be signed, dated and returned in a secrecy envelope to be counted. In the 2022 midterm election, roughly 10,000 votes were tossed due to submission errors.

McCormick said after the primary election earlier that same year that invalidating undated or misdated ballots disenfranchised voters. He lost the nomination to Dr. Mehmet Oz by 0.1 percentage points, which was reaffirmed in one of the state’s four automatic recounts completed over the last two decades.

Tiernan Donohue, Casey’s campaign manager, said the high court didn’t rule on the merits of counting undated ballots, rendering McCormick’s reversed position on the matter moot – and hypocritical.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and we will utilize every legal option to oppose McCormick’s voter suppression tactics and ensure these legal votes are counted,” she said.

Our statement on the Casey campaign & DSCC’s legal motion opposing McCormick’s disenfranchisement of Pennsylvania voters: pic.twitter.com/fvXCzxbMvc— Team Casey (@BobCaseyHQ) November 15, 2024

DON’T MISS OUT

Be the first to know about the latest news, giveaways, events, and updates from The Black Chronicle!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

spot_img
spot_img

Hot this week

African and Caribbean Nations Call for Reparations for Slave Trade, Propose Global Fund

Nations across Africa and the Caribbean, deeply impacted by...

Health care company agrees to pay $22.5 million to settle claims of over billing

A health care company agreed to pay nearly $22.5...

Sports betting expert offers advice on paying taxes for gambling winnings

(The Center Square) – Tax season is underway, and...

Entertainment district benefits don’t outweigh the cost, economists say

(The Center Square) — Weeks later, after more details...

Business association ‘disappointed’ by WA L&I’s proposed workers comp rate hike

(The Center Square) – The Association of Washington Business...

Changes enacted to North Carolina juvenile delinquent law

(The Center Square) – Some parts of juvenile delinquent...

Wikler tosses hat into national chairman ring

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Democratic Party leader is...

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay joins county executive race

(The Center Square) – Metropolitan King County Councilmember Girmay...

Audit finds Louisiana improved its response time to abuse complaints

(The Center Square) — The Louisiana Department of Health...

Illinois quick hits: Pritzker names early childhood director

Pritzker names early childhood director ...

Duo indicted for faking ESA application documents

(The Center Square) – Individuals in an Empowerment Scholarship...

Op-Ed: The real climate crisis is about power, not just energy

A small nation's defiant exit from COP29 has exposed...

Challenging Trump, California to pay for migrant deportation defense

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.,...

More like this
Related

Changes enacted to North Carolina juvenile delinquent law

(The Center Square) – Some parts of juvenile delinquent...

Wikler tosses hat into national chairman ring

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Democratic Party leader is...

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay joins county executive race

(The Center Square) – Metropolitan King County Councilmember Girmay...

Audit finds Louisiana improved its response time to abuse complaints

(The Center Square) — The Louisiana Department of Health...