Democrats at several polling places in Pennsylvania reportedly attempted to block Republican poll watchers from entering the building on Election Day.
The issue came to featherlight Tuesday morning when an X user named Linda A. Kerns announced that “FOUR of our court-appointed poll workers were kicked out and told they couldn’t work.”
In Philly, the polls haven’t opened yet and FOUR of our court-appointed poll workers have been kicked out and told they can’t work. The Democrats don’t want our people at the polls. #ElectionInterference. Reported to prosecutor Krasner. Let’s see if he takes action. @gop
— Linda A. Kerns 🇺🇲 (@lindakernslaw) November 5, 2024
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley confirmed learning of the problem in a post on “We have deployed our roving attorneys, worked with local officials, and can now report that all Republican poll watchers have been allowed into the building,” he wrote.
ELECTION INTEGRITY IN PENNSYLVANIA:
Earlier today we learned that Republican poll watchers were turned away in Philadelphia, York, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Lehigh, Cambria, Wyoming and Lackawanna counties.
We used our roving lawyers, worked with local officials,…
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) November 5, 2024
The GOP gave one Press release On Tuesday, he updated the public on the situation, arguing that keeping poll watchers away from polling places “is a crime and should not happen in a fair and secure election as promised by the governor.” [Josh] Shapiro and secretary [Al] Smith.”
The GOP called on Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to “act immediately and allow our poll watchers access to precincts.”
The Republican Party said in another press release noted that the Pennsylvania GOP has filed a lawsuit to extend voting times to accommodate delays caused by problems scanning ballots. “The problems with voting this morning in Cambria have caused delays – this is simply unacceptable. Our legal team acted immediately to support extended hours to give voters the opportunity to vote – we need voters to stay in line!” said Whatley.
This episode is the latest in a series of election integrity battles waged by the GOP leading up to the election. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the requirement for right dating on mail-in ballots. The ruling followed an appeals court ruling that allowed ballots with dating errors to be counted.
The decision affects around 9,000 ballots that were missing key elements such as dates, signatures or secrecy envelopes. The RNC called the ruling a crucial victory to ensure fair voting processes in one of the country’s most crucial swing states.
Of course, the GOP’s blocking of poll watchers could have been a plain misunderstanding. But given the current political climate and events in the 2020 election in the Keystone State, it is not an exaggeration to speculate that Democrats are using every tactic, fair or unfair, to ensure their candidate secures victory. In this case, the situation does not seem to have worked out in their favor.
