Recount to start in PA Senate race as legal disputes over ballots intensify

Nov 15

Karah Rucker Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Jake Larsen (Video Editor)

Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick sparked a legal showdown over whether to count mail-in ballots missing handwritten dates. With a mandatory recount underway, Republicans are challenging multiple county decisions to include undated or misdated ballots, a move that Democrats argue would disenfranchise voters.

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In the days leading up to the Nov. 5 election, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered counties to enforce the handwritten date requirement on all mail ballots, a rule that Republicans say disqualifies any ballot without a proper date.

However, Democratic-leaning counties such as Bucks and Philadelphia have counted hundreds of such ballots, arguing that timestamps prove the ballots were received on time.

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As of Monday afternoon, McCormick was up by approximately 40,000 votes with a little over 100,000 ballots left to be counted. — Reuters

On Nov. 12, the Bucks County Board of Elections voted 2-1 along party lines to count 405 undated or misdated mail ballots. Similarly, the Philadelphia City Commissioners voted 2-1 to count several hundred ballots with date issues, sparking a new round of lawsuits.

The Republican National Committee and Pennsylvania GOP filed an appeal, asking the state Supreme Court to use its King’s Bench Power to enforce the court’s order across the state.

Republican Senate candidate McCormick, who declared victory and currently holds a narrow lead, has joined the RNC’s legal efforts. He filed suit against the Bucks County decision, calling undated ballots invalid and accusing Casey’s team of attempting to “count illegal ballots.”

In response, the Casey campaign called McCormick’s reversal hypocritical, noting that he supported counting ballots with date issues in his last Senate race recount in 2022.

“Senator Casey’s priority continues to be making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard,” said his campaign manager, Tiernan Donohue, while accusing McCormick of trying to suppress votes.

As Pennsylvania law requires an automatic recount for any race with a margin of 0.5% or less, counties are set to start the process by Nov. 20, with final recount results due by Nov. 27.

The Department of State estimates that the recount will cost taxpayers over $1 million.

Tags: 2024 Elections, U.S. Senate

IN PENNSYLVANIA, A HIGH-STAKES LEGAL BATTLE OVER BALLOT COUNTING IS UNFOLDING IN THE RAZOR-THIN U.S. SENATE RACE BETWEEN INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT BOB CASEY AND REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER DAVID MCCORMICK. AS COUNTIES BEGIN A MANDATORY RECOUNT, THE COURTS ARE BEING CALLED IN TO DECIDE WHAT VOTES COUNT AND WHICH DON’T.

AT THE HEART OF THIS ELECTION DISPUTE ARE HUNDREDS OF MAIL BALLOTS THAT MAY BE MISSING SIGNATURES OR MISDATED… BALLOTS THAT REPUBLICANS SAY SHOULD BE TOSSED OUT. BUT DEMOCRATS ARGUE, THAT COULD MEAN TOSSING OUT VOTERS’ VOICES.

HERE’S HOW WE GOT HERE.

IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE ELECTION… PENNSYLVANIA’S SUPREME COURT ORDERED ALL COUNTIES TO FOLLOW A RULE: MAIL BALLOTS MUST HAVE A PROPER, HANDWRITTEN DATE, OR THEY DON’T COUNT.

HOWEVER, THIS RULE HAS SPARKED FIERCE DEBATES. SOME COUNTY BOARDS, LIKE THOSE IN BUCKS AND PHILADELPHIA, MOVED TO COUNT UNDATED OR MISDATED BALLOTS… ARGUING THEY WERE TIME-STAMPED ON ARRIVAL, PROVIDING PROOF THEY WERE RECEIVED ON TIME.

IN BUCKS COUNTY, OFFICIALS VOTED 2-TO-1 ALONG PARTY LINES TO COUNT OVER 400 SUCH BALLOTS. PHILADELPHIA’S BOARD MADE A SIMILAR CALL. AND NOW REPUBLICANS ARE TAKING THIS TO THE COURTS.

Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo

“We reject all three categories of these ballots…”

Commissioner Diane Marseglia

“I’m not going to second that motion, because i think we all know precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore.. And people violate laws anytime they want. So for me… if I violate this law it’s because i want the court to pay attention to it.”

REPUBLICANS FILED AN APPEAL ASKING THE PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT TO INTERVENE… ONCE AGAIN… TO ENSURE COUNTIES FOLLOW ITS GUIDANCE. DAVID MCCORMICK, WHO WAS DECLARED THE WINNER BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, HAS FILED APPEALS IN LOWER COURTS AS WELL, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE.

MCCORMICK HAS ALREADY DECLARED VICTORY, BUT WITH A STATEWIDE RECOUNT UNDERWAY AND HUNDREDS OF DISPUTED BALLOTS IN PLAY, THIS RACE COULD TAKE A TURN.

CASEY’S TEAM ARGUES MCCORMICK’S CURRENT STANCE CONTRADICTS HIS POSITION FROM 2022 WHEN HE SUPPORTED COUNTING BALLOTS WITH DATE ISSUES DURING A RECOUNT. MEANWHILE, MCCORMICK’S CAMP SAYS CASEY’S TEAM IS “TRYING TO ILLEGALLY COUNT UNREGISTERED VOTES,” AN ALLEGATION DEMOCRATS DISMISS AS AN ATTEMPT TO “DISENFRANCHISE” VOTERS.

COUNTIES WILL REPORT RESULTS TO THE STATE BY NOVEMBER 27. PENNSYLVANIA LAW TRIGGERS A RECOUNT FOR ANY RACE WITH A MARGIN OF LESS THAN HALF A PERCENT, WHICH IS RIGHT WHERE THIS RACE STANDS. THIS RECOUNT WILL COST OVER A MILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYER MONEY.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.