Democratic election commissioners in Pennsylvania voted on Thursday to allow undated and misdated ballots to be counted as part of the official recount requested by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who was defeated by Senator-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) in the 2024 election.
According to The Daily Caller, Bucks County Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Robert Harvie made a motion to count undated and misdated ballots despite a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on November 1 that instructed elections officials not to count undated or misdated ballots.
The Daily Caller reported that while some of the individuals at the meeting argued against including undated and misdated ballots in the state’s official recount, others argued in favor of including both types of ballots.
In a video from the meeting shared by Bucks GOP, Ellis-Marseglia said, “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws anytime they want.” She added, “For me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that other Pennsylvania counties, such as Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, and Centre County, have also taken measures to allow undated and misdated ballots to be included in the recount effort.
According to The Hill, the Republican National Committee and Pennsylvania Republicans asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday to immediately resolve the issue by upholding its previous ruling that state counties cannot count challenged ballots in the 2024 election.
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“[V]arious county boards are seeking to alter the rules of the election at the thirteenth hour,” Republican officials wrote in Thursday’s application to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. “By counting undated and misdated mail ballots for the 2024 General Election, they are disobeying this Court’s commands many times over. At best, they are confused; at worst, they are openly defying the authority of this Court.”
The inclusion of the undated and misdated ballots comes amid the Pennsylvania Senate race recount. According to The Associated Press, McCormick currently holds a roughly 25,000-vote lead over Casey.
Fox News reported that Elizabeth Gregory, a McCormick spokesperson, released a statement regarding Casey’s recount effort, arguing that Casey will not be able to find enough votes to surpass McCormick’s lead.
“Senator-elect McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, which the AP made clear in calling the race,” Gregory said. “A recount will be a waste of time and taxpayer money but it is Senator Casey’s prerogative. Senator-elect McCormick knows what it’s like to lose an election and is sure Senator Casey will eventually reach the right conclusion.”
