by Christen Smith
(The Center Square) – Local officials caught opposing Pennsylvania’s voting laws could find themselves out of a job.
Rep. Joe D’Orsie (R-York) is working on a bill that would give the State House the power to remove county and city officials from office. It is similar to an impeachment trial and ultimately requires voter approval.
D’Orsie and other members of the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus support the bill after Bucks County commissioners voted to count about 400 ballots with dating errors amid a razor-sharp race between incumbents US Senator Bob Casey Jr. and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick.
“Pennsylvania voters should not tolerate crooked county officials who openly usurp state law to satisfy their political whims,” he said. “This legislation establishes a process by which local voters can decide whether a county or city official should be removed from office after a crime like we witnessed in Bucks County.”
During the meeting on November 14 this year. Chairwoman of the Commission Diane Ellis-Marseille she said she knew counting votes was against the state Supreme Court’s ruling, but she didn’t care.
“I think we all know that the precedent set by the court is no longer relevant in this country and people break the law whenever they want,” she said. “Therefore, in my opinion, if I violate this law, it is because I want the court to pay attention to it.”
And notice that they did. Four days after the board’s actions, affirmed the state Supreme Court that the ballots were defective.
The 4-3 order came after filed by the state and the national Republican Party for the extraordinary relief in this case, which also occurred in Center, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
In a consistent statement Judge Kevin Brobson reminded local officials that they had no authority to interpret state law. judges David Wecht AND Sally Updyke Mundy Agreement.
“I am writing separately to disabuse officials responsible for local elections that they have the right to ignore the provisions of the Electoral Code, which in their opinion are inconsistent with the constitution,” he said. “Only courts governed by our statute can declare a statute or provision thereof unconstitutional.”
Casey’s campaign claimed that throwing ballots with dating errors disenfranchised voters. McCormick unsuccessfully made the same argument in 2022 after losing Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary for the US Senate.
Oz faced Lt. Governor John Fettermanthe Democratic candidate who ultimately won the seat by more than 5 percentage points.
Casey gave way to McCormick 17 days after polls closed on November 5, the former hedge fund CEO appeared to be ahead by 17,000 votes – even after an automatic recount.
McCormick’s campaign said the outcome was a foregone conclusion and confirmation should not cost taxpayers $1 million.
“Pennsylvanians deserve action after tyrants try to undermine our institutions,” he said Representative Robert Leadbeter (R-Bloomsburg), who chairs the Freedom Caucus. “At a time when trust in our electoral process is waning, the least responsible thing lawmakers can do is turn a blind eye and let illegal behavior go unchecked. The Freedom Caucus is proud to lead the charge to right this wrong.
