Pennsylvania Democrats overtly admit to counting unlawful ballots in McCormick-Casey race

Because the contested Pennsylvania Senate race barrels in the direction of a $1 million recount, Democratic officers in just a few blue counties are overtly admitting to counting disqualified ballots in defiance of state legislation and court docket orders. 

The Related Press has known as the race for Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who at the moment holds a 26,000 vote lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. However Casey has refused to concede and insisted that each vote be counted. The shut margin – inside one proportion level – triggered an automated recount below Pennsylvania legislation. 

But the essential query is which votes ought to be counted? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court docket dominated earlier than the election that mail ballots missing formally required signatures or dates shouldn’t be included in official outcomes. Nevertheless, Democratic officers in Philadelphia and surrounding Bucks, Centre and Montgomery counties are ignoring that court docket order. 

“I believe everyone knows that precedent by a court docket doesn’t matter anymore on this nation,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, stated Thursday as she and different Democrats voted to reject a GOP-led problem to ballots that ought to be disqualified. 

MCCORMICK-CASEY RECOUNT COST TO TOP $1M; GOP SLAMS BLUE COUNTIES DEFYING HIGH COURT

Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (L) and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn. ( Nathan Posner/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs, left, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photographs, proper.)

“Individuals violate legal guidelines anytime they need. So, for me, if I violate this legislation, it’s as a result of I need a court docket to concentrate. There’s nothing extra necessary than counting votes.”

Officers estimate there are fewer than 80,000 provisional ballots left to be counted throughout the Keystone State, lower than two % of the vote, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Whereas the prospect that Casey might make up his deficit is small, his attorneys and McCormick’s have repeatedly clashed at county commissioner conferences this week as native officers have debated over whether or not to rely small handfuls of ballots. 

Democrats insist they’re performing in good religion in believing that rejecting somebody’s vote due to a clerical error violates their constitutional rights. 

In Montgomery County, for instance, officers deliberated for half-hour over whether or not about 180 provisional ballots with out secrecy envelopes ought to be counted. The Inquirer reported that a number of of those votes got here from the identical precincts, suggesting an error made by ballot employees. 

Democratic board chair Neil Makhija voted to simply accept the ballots in order that voters wouldn’t be disenfranchised. However different members of the board, together with one Democrat and a Republican, voted to reject the ballots on the recommendation of county attorneys who decided the legislation clearly states they shouldn’t be counted. 

“We’re speaking about constitutional rights and I can’t take an motion to throw out somebody’s poll that’s validly forged, in any other case, over a problem that we all know … is immaterial,” Makhija stated throughout Thursday’s assembly. The board in the end voted to rely a complete of 501 contested ballots. 

Related disputes over a whole bunch of votes have performed out in Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties. 

HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE AMID TOLL REBOOT BEFORE TRUMP CAN BLOCK IT

Trump (L) listens as David McCormick, candidate for United States Senator, speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally in Studying, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2024.  (ED JONES/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

Individually, there may be ongoing litigation over undated mail ballots or these submitted with an incorrect date on the outer envelope. A number of native Democratic officers have stated an incorrect date shouldn’t be grounds to disqualify an individual’s vote. Decrease courts have agreed with that reasoning, however Pennsylvania’s excessive court docket has decided the legislation requires right dates for mail ballots to be counted. 

The McCormick marketing campaign and Republican Nationwide Committee have requested the Pennsylvania Supreme Court docket to reaffirm its Nov. 1 determination to cease Democrats from together with undated mail ballots of their closing tallies. The Casey marketing campaign and the Pennsylvania Division of State have countered with authorized motions arguing that the counties ought to be left alone and that the excessive court docket needn’t intervene because the challenges work their approach by means of the appellate course of.

The open defiance of court docket precedent has prompted Republicans to cry foul.

“Let’s be clear about what’s occurring right here: Democrats in Pennsylvania are overtly making an attempt to interrupt the legislation by making an attempt to rely unlawful ballots. They’re doing this as a result of they need to steal a senate seat,” Republican Nationwide Committee Chairman Michael Whatley wrote on X. 

He stated the RNC has filed 4 lawsuits contesting county choices on undated ballots and vowed to “struggle for so long as essential” to make sure that McCormick’s victory is upheld.

“That is the precise type of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence,” Whatley stated.

FETTERMAN DEFENDS CASEY-MCCORMICK RECOUNT; DINGS KARI LAKE

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey addresses supporters earlier than former President Barack Obama speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally for statewide Democratic candidates in 2018 in Philadelphia. (Mark Makela/Getty Photographs)

Democrats have defended their actions and identified that McCormick himself had argued to rely contested ballots when he trailed movie star coronary heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz within the 2022 Republican major for U.S. Senate. 

In that case, McCormick’s lawyer instructed a state choose that the article of Pennsylvania’s election legislation is to let individuals vote, “to not play video games of ‘gotcha’ with them.”

There are probably hundreds of mail-in ballots with fallacious or lacking dates on the return envelope throughout the state, although most counties haven’t moved to rely them. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A state-mandated recount have to be completed by midday on Nov. 26. Officers have stated they don’t anticipate the method to alter the end result of the race by quite a lot of hundred votes. 

Each McCormick and Casey had been in Washington, D.C., this week. Casey participated in official Senate enterprise and forged votes on the ground whereas McCormick attended new member orientation and met with different members of the brand new Republican majority to vote for convention management. 

Fox Information Digital’s Charles Creitz and The Related Press contributed to this report.