(The Center Square) – Erie County election board officials now face a legal challenge after discovering mail-in ballot errors that may have impacted as many as 20,000 Pennsylvania voters.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the county said its “acutely aware” that many residents never received their ballots. Others have reported receiving duplicates with incorrect information.
Multiple media outlets have reported that between 10,000 and 20,000 voters may be affected by the issue. As such, the county has extended election office hours through the weekend to accommodate residents who need to request new ballots, even though the statutory deadline passed Tuesday.
The following day, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party filed a complaint that asks the county court to force the Board of Elections to release the names of every voter impacted by the error, as well as implement a process to prevent further disenfranchisement.
Several of the cures sought in the filing have already been implemented, including extended hours and ways to complete new ballots.
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump’s campaign sued the Bucks County Elections Board, accusing it of disenfranchisement after reports that workers were disbanding long lines of voters waiting to request in-person ballots on the final day to do so in the state.
Reports of suspicious voter registration applications have also grabbed headlines in recent days. Up to four counties may have been impacted by batches of forged applications, though only Lancaster County officials have confirmed fraud has been detected, so far.
