
The chairman of the Republican National Committee told former President Donald Trump’s rally in Allentown on Tuesday that the Trump campaign intends to file a lawsuit against Bucks County for rejecting voters who lined up to request mail-in ballots upon request.
“Folks, this is what’s happening: Democrat election officials are seeing our numbers. They see our turnout. They see us breaking early voting records across Pennsylvania. They are terrified. And they want to stop our momentum,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. “We will not allow them to suppress our voices. We will fight.”
Whately told voters to stay in line around 7:30 p.m., two and a half hours after the state deadline for absentee ballot applications.
“Donald Trump needs your votes. Donald Trump needs Pennsylvania. And America needs Pennsylvania,” Whatley said.
Bucks County spokesman James O’Malley said officials were notified of the campaign’s intention to file a lawsuit and had no comment Tuesday.
The district authorities informed several times in recent days, election offices are not polling places, and printing absentee ballots on demand is not early voting. Pennsylvania law does not allow early voting.
Misleading videos, conspiracy theories, confusion on both sides of the issue over the difference between requested absentee ballots and early voting, and unclear guidance from state officials have created chaos in the final days in which Pennsylvania voters had to apply for ballots. postal voting. However, officials said anyone who was in line to apply for a ballot by 5 p.m. Tuesday was able to submit an application.
Voters lined up at local election offices across Pennsylvania on Tuesday to request absentee ballots by request before the 5 p.m. deadline. Many voters did not realize they were in line to receive an absentee ballot; they thought they were lining up to vote, just like on election day.
The process for obtaining an absentee ballot by request involves each voter applying for an absentee ballot and receiving the ballot the same day. This may take 10 minutes or more for each voter. The voter can then complete the ballot and return it on site, or they can take it home and return it the day before Election Day. Most voters chose to complete their ballots on site.
Confusion over absentee ballots at the Bucks County elections office is leading to long lines of frustrated voters
The result was long queues. In places like Doylestown, Bucks County, security guards had to split the line around 2:45 p.m County officials said there was some confusion at first, but everyone should have been able to apply for an absentee ballot. People who arrive after the deadline will not receive ballots that day.
Videos of guards placing signs separating these lines or telling voters they would not be able to cast ballots quickly spread on social media, with many people saying they showed voters being completely denied entry to the offices. Some posts containing videos had more than a million views and drew responses from Elon Musk and influential right-wingers. Whatley appeared to cite them when announcing his intention to sue.
“Contrary to what is being portrayed on social media, if you are in line to request an absentee ballot by request by 5 p.m., you will have the opportunity to request an absentee ballot,” Bucks County officials said in post on its government Facebook page. “We are aware that due to a miscommunication, individuals lining up to request an absentee ballot upon request were briefly informed that they could not be accommodated. In fact, these voters had the opportunity to request absentee ballots today.”
The crowds weren’t entirely unexpected, though. Last Friday, the Department of State sent an email to county election officials urging them to prepare for an influx of voters requesting absentee ballots and requesting demand ballots before the deadline.
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The email directed boards of elections to “ensure every voter in line by 5 p.m. has the opportunity to request and return a ballot” on the last day to do so. “This extremely tense election cycle may require you to consider logistical challenges that you may not have previously had to consider,” the email said.
On Tuesday, Schmidt assured Pennsylvania voters in a virtual news conference that “if you’re in line today and the 5 p.m. deadline is approaching, counties must allow you to request an absentee ballot.”
However, problems with demand ballots slowing down the line have already begun.
On Saturday, some Bucks County voters who were in line to receive on-demand ballots were turned away before the election office closed because the lines became too long.
State Sen. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) said the reports made by voters that day prompted him to release a memo announcing his intention to sponsor legislation that would require county election officials to serve anyone who gets in line before the announced time closure.
“The lines are long because the process is obviously cumbersome and, frankly, that’s not how the system is set up,” Farry said.
Farry described the proposed legislation as something of a stopgap in the absence of more comprehensive early voting reform legislation.
There is no chance Farry’s bill will be considered before the election because there simply aren’t enough sitting days scheduled for it to pass both houses, a fact he is aware of.
“I’m sure after this election everyone will be able to sit down and think about how we could do better,” Farry said.
With millions now voting, democracy watchdogs are placing an emphasis on voter protection
For the past two years, with Democrats controlling the House and Republicans controlling the Senate, reaching consensus on any legislation has been arduous. Democrats in the House of Representatives do proposed a number of actions to reform the electoral system it would allow early mail-in voting and expand early in-person voting options, though the latter could not go into effect until 2027. Senate Republicans, however, have said they would not support any major election changes unless they included more stringent voter ID requirements, which they Democrats largely oppose it.
AND Bill to allow pre-canvassing was actually passed by the House this year but was not taken up by the Senate.
“I am asking you to please be patient with county election officials today,” Schmidt said at a news conference Tuesday. “Everyone is working diligently to ensure that every registered voter who wants to vote by mail when requested can do so.”
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