State Watch

Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania sues to throw out corrected ballots

A GOP congressional candidate on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against elections authorities in a Pennsylvania county, calling on the court to throw out corrected mail-in ballots, according to The Washington Post.

Kathy Barnette, who is a candidate for Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District, sued senior elections officials of Montgomery County, which includes parts of Philadelphia, asking that the court “set aside and declare void any ballots that have been submitted to Montgomery County and subsequently changed,” the Post reported.

The lawsuit holds that county officials allegedly violated state election laws by contacting voters and allowing them to fix any issues with their mail-in ballots prior to Election Day. It also alleges that witnesses were not notified of the changes or allowed access to view the process, according to the Post.

Barnette reportedly also alleged that her constitutional rights were infringed upon. According to Barnette’s complaint, nearly 1,200 voters submitted flawed mail ballots, the Post reported.

“We believe our process is sound and permissible under the Election Code. We understand that the Court may be scheduling a hearing on this matter for later this morning,” spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, Kelly Cofrancisco, told the Post in an email.

President Trump has routinely cast doubt concerning mail-in ballots in the days and months leading to Tuesday’s presidential election. 

“The Supreme Court decision on voting in Pennsylvania is a VERY dangerous one,” Trump tweeted on Monday, noting that the decision for Pennsylvania to accept mail ballots sent by Election Day and received up to three days later “will allow rampant and unchecked cheating and will undermine our entire systems of laws.” 

Tags 2020 election Donald Trump mail in ballots Postal voting in the 2020 United States elections

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