In a critical suburb of Philadelphia, voters encountered their final opportunity on Friday to request a mail-in ballot. This came as a result of an imposed 5 p.m. deadline for the inhabitants of Bucks County to both apply for and receive their mailed voting papers. Remarkably, this stipulated deadline was extended by three days following a lawsuit claiming the potential for voter disenfranchisement, after voters were denied access by county application-processing offices that had closed prematurely.
The lawsuit responsible for the extended deadline was notably submitted by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, alongside the Republican National Committee, and GOP Senate candidate David McCormick. These stringent deadlines and abrupt office closures unsurprisingly resulted in extended queues and widespread confusion among voters. Many of these citizens held the belief that they had the right to cast a ballot if they were queued before the designated poll closing time, much like Election Day.
However, a shocking revelation was that the county election offices do not operate in the same manner as official polls. Consequently, early closing times had been set in place, with some offices shutting as early as 2 p.m. on the weekend. The Trump campaign, in their lawsuit, argued that those individuals who managed to join the line before 5 p.m. Tuesday’s deadline should have been granted the right to acquire a ballot, even after the official deadline.
Yet, Bucks County’s election office overruled this right and ordered voters to vacate the premises, the lawsuit states. This case was heard in court by Judge Jeffrey Trauger of Bucks County, who ruled that the mishandling of this by the Board of Elections was indeed in violation of the state election laws, thereby issuing an extension through until Friday.
As part of the voting process, voters could speculatively apply for mail ballots online or directly at local county election buildings. Physical applications, however, were not straightforward and could consume up to 12 minutes in a single sitting. This process involved requesting a mail ballot, patiently awaiting the printing of a bar-coded envelope, and then choosing to cast the ballot immediately.
They were also given the option to drop it in a box or mail it instead. Importantly, the Election offices stipulated that the ballots needed to reach them by Tuesday at 8 p.m. Rather dubiously, a postmark within this time frame was deemed insufficient under state laws.
Historically, Pennsylvania was in not familiar with the concept of ‘no excuse’ mail-in voting. This changed only in 2019 when the Legislature implemented an expansion to the practice. Notably, in the 2020 general elections, Trump had vociferously claimed, without backing it up with any substantial evidence, that mail-in voting was subject to wide-scale fraud, influencing many Republicans to avoid the method.
Funnily enough, 2021 brought a change of tune. Trump, alongside billionaire magnate Elon Musk, advocated for this practice, urging their supporters to vote early by mail. They had no qualms endorsing a practice they had once called into question, a clear demonstration of political maneuvering, perhaps an admission of the earlier arguments’ fallacy, or both.
Pennsylvania, in the grand scheme of things, stands out as one of the most significant battlegrounds in the electoral arena, attracting a plethora of visits by Trump and Harris. The state’s vote, however, swung from siding narrowly with Trump in 2016 to supporting Biden in 2020.
A similar pattern was observed in Bucks County. The county had favored Hillary Clinton by only a slim margin in the 2016 elections. By 2020, Biden had solidified the Democrats’ position in the county, expanding the lead to five points. The current administration would proudly tout this as a victory, blissfully ignoring the ever-present serious concerns raised about the election processes and procedures.
We continue to see how crucial the state of Pennsylvania remains in the political landscape. Ironically, it seems like for some individuals, it only takes billionaire backing or the memory of past mistakes to flip the script on a stand they had previously condemned. As we proceed towards another election, keep an eye out for more of these political acrobatics.
The mishandling of the voting process, as seen in Bucks County, is becoming an all too familiar sight. Setting early dismissal times for voting personnel and turning voters away unjustly, as alleged in the lawsuit filed, reminds us that our voting system requires vigilant oversight and reform.
Notably, such allegations also throw into question the victories claimed by some during the last presidential race, especially when these victories are in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania. It begs the question, how many voters were turned away or discouraged from casting their ballots?
The fact that the courts had to intervene to ensure citizens could exercise their rights speaks volumes about the current state of affairs. While officials like Biden and Harris might see Pennsylvania as a feather in their caps, the underlying issues presented paint a far less rosy picture of their tenure.
However, this sort of manipulation of narratives to portray victories where concerns lie is nothing new for politicians like Biden and Harris. The Bucks County misstep may be just another unfortunate by-product of their administration, a situation we might see play out repeateldy should their time in office continue unchallenged.
Biden and Harris Ignorantly Celebrate as Voters Suffer in Bucks County appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
