Thousands of Pennsylvania voters have had their mail ballot applications challenged [View all]
Source: NPR
Updated November 4, 2024 4:56 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA Thousands of last-minute challenges to voters mail ballot applications, along with baseless claims by former President Donald Trump about an investigation into suspicious voter registration forms, are adding pressure on Pennsylvania county officials in the final hours before Election Day.
Pennsylvania has more electoral votes (19) than any other presidential swing state, and the major parties have in recent weeks engaged in a series of legal battles over its election rules. Officials in 14 counties reported receiving more than 4,000 challenges by last Friday, which was the deadline for contesting an absentee voters eligibility, according to Matt Heckel, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The counties that received challenges include Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Lycoming and York counties. On Monday, local officials dismissed all 354 challenges in south-central Pennsylvanias York County during an emergency hearing, county spokesperson Greg Monskie confirmed.
The move comes after 212 challenges in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester County, the first to hold a hearing to review challenges, were either tossed or withdrawn last week.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/04/nx-s1-5178714/pennsylvania-mail-ballot-voter-challenges-trump