Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a lawsuit against Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for “voter suppression” after voters were rejected early.
Voters said they were turned away from the Bucks County elections office as early as 2:30 p.m., even though the Pennsylvania Department of State said if they got in line at 5 p.m., they had the right to request a ballot. .
“This is a direct violation of Pennsylvanians’ right to cast their ballot – and all voters have the right to stay in line,” the campaign announced in a statement.
“This is voter suppression from the left,” the campaign message continued. “We will fight for every legal vote in Pennsylvania. Go vote and stay in line!’
It is the second case in recent days of election issues in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, after 2,500 “fraudulent” voter registrations were found in Lancaster County.
The county later granted an extension Wednesday allowing early voting to continue until 5 p.m. Friday.
People wait in line outside the Bucks County Government Building to request an on-demand ballot on the last day to request one in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at the PPL Center on October 29, 2024 in Allentown, Pennsylvania
The lawsuit alleges that the Bucks County Board of Elections “denied voters the opportunity to use their legally guaranteed On Demand Mail-in Ballot Option.”
It goes on to describe “multiple reports” of voters being turned away due to “long lines.”
Trump also raised concerns about voter suppression at a campaign rally on Tuesday evening.
“They got caught cheating in Lancaster County, they got caught in York… they weren’t going to do it until right after the election, but we had a whistleblower blowing the whistle on them… they’re cheating like hell and it’s a damn shame and we are going to make it right,” he continued.
“We haven’t seen it anywhere else in Pennsylvania,” he said at a campaign rally in Allentown.
He pointed to a criminal investigation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where election officials flagged 2,500 voter registration forms for possible fraud.
Republican officials called it an organized effort but also said it had been brought under control.
It affected batches of registrations delivered in bulk, some containing false names, suspicious handwriting, mismatched signatures or incorrect address details.
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Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 29
Two other Pennsylvania counties “received similar requests” and were ordered to investigate them, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said at a news conference. She declined to name the other provinces.
“It seems like an organized effort at this point,” said Adams, an elected Republican. ‘But it is of course an ongoing investigation. And we are going to investigate who exactly took part and how far it goes.’
At the news conference, Lancaster Commissioner Ray D’Agostino, a Republican who chairs the Board of Elections, said: “The fact is, we have this under control. This is not correct. It’s illegal. It’s immoral. And we found it, and we’re going to take care of it.”
Pennsylvania and its 19 Electoral College votes are crucial for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to win the 270 votes needed to secure the White House.
The Keystone State was also one of the centers of baseless allegations of voter fraud in 2020.
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It took four days to complete the counting of ballots to declare President Joe Biden the winner of that race due to county requirements in the state.
In 2020, the results there were not known until 11 a.m. local time on the Saturday after election day.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to irregularities and alleged fraud in 2020 as part of his effort to overturn the election results. The effort included repeated statements about fraud risks before the election, with his allies directing many of their complaints against Pennsylvania.
Trump regularly talks at his campaign rallies about a plan to “flood the vote” to overwhelm what he calls Democratic voter fraud.
Still, Trump underlined that “the election itself is going very well,” meaning how his campaign to win back the White House is doing.