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Pennsylvania Democrats quietly change website page recruiting poll watchers after GOP called out ‘disinformation’

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Pennsylvania Democrats quietly change website page recruiting poll watchers after GOP called out ‘disinformation’


Pennsylvania Democrats quietly updated their website Thursday night after Republicans accused them of publishing “misinformation” on the site’s recruitment page, which appeared to be enlisting out-of-state poll watchers in violation of the battleground state’s election law.

The Republican National Committee sent a letter to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt earlier in the day Thursday, pointing out that the Pennsylvania Dems’ “Voter Protection” page on their website said that poll watchers on Election Day “must be physically present in PA for their shift, but do not necessarily have to be PA voters.”

That language contradicted Pennsylvania election law going back to 1937, which states, “Each watcher so appointed must be a qualified registered elector of the county in which the election district for which the watcher was appointed is located.”

PA Dems volunteer page before it was changed Thursday night. padems

“The misinformation on the PA Dems’ website threatens the integrity of November’s general election,” the RNC’s letter to Schmidt reads, explaining that the Democratic Party cannot be allowed to “flood polling places with unqualified out-of-state poll watchers.”

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Pennsylvania Secretary of Commonwealth, Al Schmidt. Amber South/Public Opinion / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Pennsylvania Department of State told The Post that poll watchers are “specifically defined as individuals appointed by candidates or political parties to observe inside a polling place on Election Day,” not outside.

In other words, Pennsylvania poll watchers must not only be Pennsylvania voters, but they can also only serve in the polling place in the county they are registered to vote. 

That’s a far cry from what Pennsylvania Democrats were telling potential volunteers, thus sparking Republicans’ complaints of “misinformation.”

In a statement to The Post on Friday, the Pennsylvania Dems clapped back at their Republican opponents.

“Our Party takes our democracy seriously, unlike the MAGA Republicans that are busy launching bad faith attacks on voters and our volunteers,” said Mitch Kates, PA Dems’ Executive Director.

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“Poll watchers may be located inside or outside of polling locations, and outside poll watchers can be volunteers from any state,” Kates said. “We have always made this distinction in assigning our volunteers on Election Day.”

Election bureau staffer Deb McDonald opening provisional ballots in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. AP

But Pennsylvania Democrats didn’t make this distinction on their recruitment page – until it was changed Thursday night.

Still, the Republicans are urging Schmidt, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, to correct the PA Democrats’ “misinformation and disinformation” on the state’s “Fact-Checking Election Claims” page, and order them to “cease and desist” from publishing inaccurate election information.

Both Democrats and Republicans recruit voter protection volunteers from out of state, and both parties are recruiting armies of volunteers to monitor polling places to make sure their team’s ballots are counted, and contest questionable ballots on the opposing side.

An Emerson poll released Thursday showed Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump tied at 48% support in the Keystone State.

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Pennsylvania

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

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State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards


In rural Pennsylvania, State College houses Penn State against a backdrop of beautiful country scenery. The university hosts many events, arts performances, and lively festivals that give the town year-round excitement that blends student life with local charm. Visitors can attend a football game, explore nearby parks and trails, and savor the town’s growing culinary scene of pubs and local eateries.



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What the war with Iran could mean for gas prices in western Pennsylvania

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What the war with Iran could mean for gas prices in western Pennsylvania


The war with Iran could start impacting your wallet as soon as today.

Jim Garrity from AAA East Central says oil prices are up.

“They’re hovering around $72. They were pretty consistently around $65, $66 for a while,” he said.

Nationally, AAA said the average for a gallon of regular sits at about $3, up approximately six cents from last week.

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In Pennsylvania, it’s around $3.12 a gallon, and in the Pittsburgh region, it’s around $3.24 a gallon. That’s actually down about four cents from last week.

Garrity added that gas prices this time of year would already be increasing, usually because of higher demand for the warmer months and the production of the summer blend of gas used for those months.

The impacts of what’s happening in Iran may not be immediate, which could be part of why our region and the state overall have not seen a spike yet, he said.

“It could be a couple of days later. It could be up to a week later,” Garrity said.

A lot of people are watching what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. Iran borders it to the north, and 20% of the world’s oil goes through it.

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Iran is one of the world’s biggest oil producers, and China gets a lot of that oil.

“If there is an impact there, you could see oil start to come in from other parts of the world, which has a downstream effect on [the United States],” Garrity said.

One way you can save on gas if prices increase in our area is by slowing down.

“When you drive faster every five miles, over 50 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency is going down,” Garrity said. “You’re making the car work harder, making the gasoline consumption less effective.”

Garrity added that in 2022, when our area and many others saw some of the highest gas prices ever recorded, people changed their driving habits.

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“We saw people make seemingly permanent changes to their driving behaviors, driving less in general, consolidating trips,” he said.



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Iran vows revenge after the killing of its top leader

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Iran vows revenge after the killing of its top leader


With energy affordability and reliability dominating headlines, state lawmakers peppered Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley about the administration’s strategy to speed the addition of new power sources to the electric grid. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee asked Thursday about the administration’s plans to ensure Pennsylvanians’ lights stay on as the commonwealth courts tech […]



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