U.S. Senate Candidate Sues Over Mail-In Ballots in Pennsylvania Midterms Primary

(Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick has filed a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania courtroom to compel counties to rely undated mail-in ballots in his main race in opposition to TV character Dr. Mehmet Oz, whom he trails by lower than 1,000 votes.

The race between McCormick, a former hedge fund govt, and Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, for the Republican celebration nomination is shut sufficient to set off an computerized recount underneath Pennsylvania state regulation.

Whereas McCormick is barely behind Oz after the Could 17 vote, he’s properly forward of his opponent in absentee ballots, based on polling agency Edison Analysis. McCormick has obtained 45,794 mail-in votes, in contrast with Oz, who has 32,944.

In a press release, McCormick’s marketing campaign stated it sued on Monday in Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Courtroom “to compel the counties to observe the Republican-leaning (Third Circuit Courtroom) order from final week stating that undated ballots returned on time be counted.”

The assertion added that the ballots “are postmarked upon arrival to county boards of elections and, subsequently, already dated and confirmed to be well timed.”

It was not clear what number of mail-in ballots lack a handwritten date, and whether or not counting them may assist McCormick or make a recount much less probably. State election officers count on to know this week whether or not a recount will probably be wanted.

Pennsylvania’s Division of State, which oversees elections, stated it agreed that undated ballots should be counted within the Could 17 race, however suggested they be “segregated” and “appropriately logged pending litigation.”

“A dedication on whether or not the segregated tabulations will probably be utilized in certifying elections has not but been made, given the continuing litigation,” it stated.

The Pennsylvania Republican Social gathering stated on Twitter that they “completely object to the counting of mail-in ballots. Pennsylvania regulation and our courts have been very clear that undated ballots are to not be counted.”

In a press release on Twitter, Oz known as McCormick’s lawsuit “a tactic that would have long-term dangerous penalties for elections within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; modifying by Ross Colvin and Jonathan Oatis)

Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.