Pennsylvania is set to be ground zero on Election Day.
The PA Republican Party has joined a lawsuit to challenge a provision that requires poll watchers to be from the counties they’re inspecting.
“Today’s lawsuit is a commonsense remedy to ensure the fairest election possible,” Republican Party of Pennsylvania Communications Director Megan Sweeney said.
This move comes amidst charges from GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump that the election will be rigged. In fact, several times Trump has specifically mentioned Pennsylvania when making this charge. The not so implicit concern is that Democrats will improperly pad vote totals in the heavily black areas of Philadelphia.
Governor Wolf denounced these efforts and pointed to instances in the recent past when PA GOP Chair Rob Gleason expressed confidence that the election would not be stolen.
“It is shameful that the Pennsylvania Republican Party has joined Donald Trump in his dangerous claims of widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania,” Governor Wolf’s spokesman Jeffrey Sheridan stated. “To suggest that the election could be rigged as a result of fraud at the polls has no basis in fact, and attempts to delegitimize the election in Pennsylvania are disgraceful and dangerous.”
“Additionally, there are minority party precinct officials in every precinct that the Republican Party can appoint. The Republican Party is only trying to cause chaos and disruption. Just as we oppose the legislature’s attempts at voter intimidation, we also oppose this baseless lawsuit and are confident a federal court will agree.”
Chairman Gleason then attacked Wolf’s response.
“Governor Wolf’s attack on Pennsylvanians who serve as volunteer poll watchers is disgraceful,” Gleason said. “Poll watchers have been a part of Pennsylvania’s election process for nearly 75 years. The citizens who choose to serve as poll watchers – regardless of party – play an important role in open and transparent elections. This lawsuit seeks to allow poll watchers the ability to perform their duty in any county in the Commonwealth with proper documentation. It is to open the process for all political parties and candidates. Nevertheless, Tom Wolf has chosen to demonize Pennsylvania citizens who are active in the election process.”
“Tom Wolf is trying to turn this lawsuit into a partisan issue by launching baseless and awful vitriol against hard-working Pennsylvanians and his response only further deepens questions around his administration’s pattern of partisan and secret dealings. The Wolf Administration owes an apology to every person who donates their time to serve as a poll watcher for any party or candidate in our great Commonwealth.”
10 Responses
Some of you people are really clueless! This is not an attempt to intimidate voters! Poll watchers are already permitted at EVERY polling place (there are only so many allowed). The problem is that some of the areas are heavily populated with either Dems or Reps and there aren’t enough poll watchers to fill the positions. This goes both ways. It’s a constitutional issue, not a party issue. Morons!
Hey ksdf, if you’re looking to be taken seriously citing Fox News is not the way
Sure Gleason, I will be happy to drive 60+ miles one way and spend a day in Philadelphia as a poll watcher. Who issues the watcher certificate? Republican State Committee or the locals? Good luck, jackass. Why don’t you work a little harder to close the gap between the voter registration totals?
The conclusion is obvious; Gleason is a bigot.
so Gleason is saying he doesn’t trust local poll watchers in the cities but he needs to import them from the other counties, someone might draw a conclusion about that.
The present law was put in place in 1937?), what is so important that the need is to change the law.
I think the effort helps expose the republicans to their real intent.
Kinda like the judge age issue, cheating and underhand methods since they cannot really win.
GOP wants nothing more than to discourage and intimidate voters. GOP has no principles. Look at the clown who is their candidate. Trump. Or did I mean Toomey. Applies to both LOSERS.
Contrary to the position of the RNC which wants nothing to do with the Trump call to arms. Gleason has proven he’s a Trump stooge. Let the consent decree be extended
Considering that state Republican Party was trying to systematically disenfranchise voters as recently as 2004 and, if they’re being honest about their Voter ID scheme, 2014, they really don’t have any kind of moral high ground on this issue.
The concern is merited…
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/06/judge-issuing-order-to-reinstate-booted-philadelphia-election-officials.html