Pennsylvania
Flood of recount requests delays election certification in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — 5 weeks after Election Day, successful candidates in Pennsylvania from governor to Congress are ready for his or her victories to turn out to be official.
An effort that seems to be at the very least partially coordinated amongst conservatives has inundated counties with poll recount requests regardless that no races are shut sufficient to require a recount and there was no proof of any potential issues.
The try to delay certification might foreshadow a possible technique for the 2024 presidential election, if the outcomes don’t go the best way disaffected voters need in one of many nation’s most intently contested states.
Recounts have been sought in 172 voting precincts throughout 40% of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. That led to 9 counties lacking their Nov. 29 certification deadline, although all however one has since licensed.
The Pennsylvania Division of State, in a response to The Related Press on Wednesday, gave no date for certifying the outcomes statewide however stated it deliberate to adjust to a request from the clerk of the U.S. Home to ship certification paperwork to Congress by mid-December. Wednesday was Dec. 14.
Chris Deluzio, a Pittsburgh Democrat elected in November to the U.S. Home, stated the delay has had solely a minor impact on him thus far. With out his win being official, nonetheless, the congressman-elect doesn’t get to ship out mail at no cost, as different members of Congress do, for instance.
“I feel if individuals are capable of come to the courts and delay certification outcomes with none actual proof, that’s an issue, and I see some abuse of that course of right here,” Deluzio stated.
Judges licensed at the very least 19 precinct recounts in six counties. These requesting the recounts stated they needed to verify the accuracy of the state’s election gear and processes, echoing the conspiracy claims of voting machine manipulation for which there is no such thing as a proof.
Brittany Crampsie, a political marketing consultant concerned with Democratic campaigns in Pennsylvania, stated she expects the recount tactic to proceed “so long as Donald Trump and his acolytes stay prevalent within the Republican Celebration.”
“In a whole lot of these instances, it’s totally political and it’s a waste of taxpayer funds,” Crampsie stated.
Rural county commissions in Arizona and New Mexico delayed or threatened to delay certification of major or basic elections outcomes this 12 months, in every case with out proof that something was amiss within the vote counting.
An AP survey of the Pennsylvania precinct recounts discovered the recount challenges altered vote tallies barely or by no means. The absence of any issues led one county decide to induce state legislators to amend Pennsylvania’s recount regulation.
Westmoreland Frequent Pleas Decide Harry Smail Jr., in a footnote to orders granting recounts, stated such calls for must be accompanied by particular claims of error or fraud.
“A sustained failure to deal with this deficiency will proceed to burden the courts, elections bureaus, elections boards, county govt branches and the voting public by permitting manufactured challenges and not using a scintilla of evidentiary assist to any and probably all election certification processes in future elections,” Smail wrote.
Rep. Leanne Krueger, who leads the state Home Democratic Marketing campaign Committee, stated those that deny the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election have been making an attempt to cease election certification for a number of years.
“These petitions are unsuccessful largely as a result of they’re not grounded,” Krueger stated. “And each time there’s a request for the county board of elections to do one thing like this, they’re forcing the spending of taxpayer cash on elections which have already been determined.”
By state regulation, recounts have to be achieved for all election districts the place ballots had been forged in a given race. For statewide contests, that might imply all precincts in a county. There’s an exception to allow extra slim recounts if the petitioners declare “a specific act of fraud or error occurred” and so they present some proof to assist that.
A scarcity of any proof or explicit declare was the grounds cited by lots of the judges who rejected recount petitions.
A minimum of two of the recount requests had been supported by native Republican Celebration teams. It’s unclear whether or not the broader request effort is also linked to Audit the Vote PA, a gaggle based in early 2021 out of the false perception that one thing was mistaken with the 2020 presidential leads to Pennsylvania, the place Trump misplaced to Democrat Joe Biden. Audit the Vote PA founder Karen Taylor filed a recount petition in Westmoreland County.
The group’s co-founder, Toni Shuppe, stated throughout a Nov. 28 question-and-answer session on the social media platform Rumble that individuals had discovered a technique to submit petitions, however she didn’t attribute the trouble to her group.
“It’s our sacred vote, and this motion isn’t going away and folks aren’t going to close up,” Shuppe stated within the on-line discussion board, urging that ballots be counted by hand.
The requests have typically sought hand counts within the races for governor and U.S. Senate, however some even have requested to double-check the vote totals for U.S. Home and for state consultant. Many used a type letter with clean areas to fill within the precinct and county.
The AP precinct survey didn’t flip up any recount requests pushed by candidates who misplaced shut contests.
A number of petitioners had been turned down as a result of they labored as election officers on Nov. 8 and licensed the outcomes as correct. Others had been rejected for not dwelling within the precinct for which a recount was requested or for not paying a required $50 bond.
Some counties focused for recounts had already despatched their totals in to the Division of State earlier than being notified of the authorized actions, however others had not but licensed or had licensed solely partial outcomes.
Lycoming County elections chief Forrest Lehman stated defending a single recount petition required making copies of ballot books and accumulating quite a lot of data.
“We felt compelled to be prepared for something,” Lehman stated. “That definitely took hours of my time after which hours of our solicitor’s time.”
Pennsylvania
How to be a poll worker in Pennsylvania
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
You can call 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or email ra-voterreg@pa.gov with questions about the poll worker interest form. You can also reach out to your local county’s election office for more details. For the Greater Philadelphia area, the contacts are the following:
Bucks County
Elections & Voter Registration
55 E. Court St.
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 18901
Phone: (215) 348-6154
Email: elections@buckscounty.org
Chester County
Elections
Karen Barsoum
Government Services Center
601 Westtown Road, Ste. 150
PO Box 2747
West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19380-0990
Phone: (610) 344-6410
Email: ccelectionofficials@chesco.org
Voter registration
Stephanie Saitis
Government Services Center
601 Westtown Rd., Ste. 150
PO Box 2747
West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19380-0990
Phone: (610) 344-6410
Email: ccelectionofficials@chesco.org
Delaware County
Elections
Laureen Hagan
Chief Clerk/Director
201 W. Front St.
Government Center Building
Media, Pennsylvania, 19063
Phone: (610) 891-4673
Email: DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us
Voter Registration
Crystal Winterbottom
Interim Voter Registration Director
201 W. Front St.
Government Center Building
Media, Pennsylvania, 19063
Phone: (610) 891-4659
Email: DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us
Montgomery County
Elections & Voter Registration
Montgomery County Voter Services
One Montgomery Plaza
425 Swede St., Suite 602
Norristown, Pennsylvania, 19401
Phone: (610) 278-3280
Email: montcovotes@montgomerycountypa.gov
Philadelphia County
Elections
Philadelphia County Board of Elections
142 City Hall
1400 JFK Blvd.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107
Phone: (215) 686-3469
Voter Registration
Voter Registration Office
520 N Columbus Blvd.
5th Floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19123
Phone: (215) 686-1590
Pennsylvania
Remnants of Hurricane Helene will pass close to rainy Pennsylvania
Hurricane Helene hit Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm on Thursday, and while it’s weakened since, it’s still bringing heavy rain to some states.
The storm center isn’t tracking to Pennsylvania, according to the National Hurricane Center, but it will be close. Related flash-flood warnings have been issued in Ohio and West Virginia, and Pennsylvania will continue to get rain.
- More: Statewide weather alerts
That includes the Harrisburg area, where it’s been raining all week — and more wet days are ahead. The National Weather Service forecast calls for rain in central Pennsylvania through at least early Wednesday.
Live radar over Pennsylvania:
On Saturday, the National Weather Service says, the Harrisburg area is expected to have rain on and off, especially in the morning. The Weather Channel shows less than a 20% chance of rain much of the day. The high temperature is forecast to be around in the low 70s.
Stevie Nicks is set to perform in Hershey tonight, at the outdoor stadium, rain or not. Anyone heading to other outdoor events should check for changes in plans or venues.
Helene has led to the deaths of at least 44 people in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Millions are without power, and countless buildings and roads have been destroyed or damaged.
The forecast in central Pennsylvania for the next few days:
- Today: Showers, high 74, low 65
- Sunday: Showers, high 69, low 63
- Monday: Showers, high 69, low 61
- Tuesday: Rain, high 68, low 59
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pennsylvania
Busy on phone Pennsylvania dad arrested after toddler, 2, shoots self with gun lying on bed
Luis Marin, a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, father was recently taken into custody after his two-year-old son shot himself with a gun that was lying close to him.
The 34-year-old man turned himself over to the police on Wednesday, September 25. He was subsequently arrested on charges of felony endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person for allegedly leaving a loaded firearm unattended on his bed, which his toddler used to shoot himself. The frightening incident happened at home in Pottstown on May 15.
Marin was purportedly “playing on phone” as the horrifying incident transpired, The Mirror US reported. In a subsequent investigation, authorities found out that the man went to a bedroom on the second floor before the shooting. He was there to collect a crossbody bag he was going to lend his nephew. Marin’s two handguns and ear protection, which he put on the bed, were usually kept in the same bag.
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Injuries sustained by the two-year-old toddler who shot himself
After the two-year-old shot himself, his father quickly grabbed him and ran outside while applying pressure to the wound. During that time, the toddler’s mother also arrived home and his parents rushed him to Pottstown Hospital. He eventually transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital. The staff later told the police, who were called just before 5 pm, that the baby’s self-inflicted gunshot had resulted in broken ribs and a fractured scapula.
The harrowing development had also damaged his left lung. Other injuries included burnt skin, which was also stippled, suggesting the gun had been in close contact with his skin when he shot himself.
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The way forward: What awaits Pennsylvania father Luis Marin who left a gun on the bed
Despite the heart-rending injuries, the two-year-old baby has survived the gunshot, District Attorney Kevin Steele revealed in a statement. “This shooting is a frightening reminder to parents that children, even very young children, can and do find unsecured firearms in a home, and their inclination is to play with them,” he added.
Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing for the infant’s father has been scheduled for October 8, 2024. If found guilty, Marin could face five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. For the time being, Magisterial District Judge Jody L. Griffis set his bail at $50,000 unsecured and demanded that no firearms be held in Marin’s house.
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