Pennsylvania Democrats openly admit to counting illegal ballots in McCormick-Casey race

As the contested Pennsylvania Senate race barrels towards a $1 cardinal recount, Democratic officials successful a fewer bluish counties are openly admitting to counting disqualified ballots successful defiance of authorities instrumentality and tribunal orders. 

The Associated Press has called the contention for Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who presently holds a 26,000 ballot pb implicit incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. But Casey has refused to concede and insisted that each ballot beryllium counted. The adjacent borderline – wrong 1 percent constituent – triggered an automatic recount nether Pennsylvania law. 

Yet the captious question is which votes should beryllium counted? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled earlier the predetermination that message ballots lacking formally required signatures oregon dates should not beryllium included successful authoritative results. However, Democratic officials successful Philadelphia and surrounding Bucks, Centre and Montgomery counties are ignoring that tribunal order. 

"I deliberation we each cognize that precedent by a tribunal doesn’t substance anymore successful this country," Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, said Thursday arsenic she and different Democrats voted to cull a GOP-led situation to ballots that should beryllium disqualified. 

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Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (L) and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn. ( Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images, left, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, right.)

"People interruption laws anytime they want. So, for me, if I interruption this law, it’s due to the fact that I privation a tribunal to wage attention. There’s thing much important than counting votes."

Officials estimation determination are less than 80,000 provisional ballots near to beryllium counted crossed the Keystone State, little than 2 percent of the vote, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. While the accidental that Casey could marque up his shortage is small, his attorneys and McCormick's person repeatedly clashed astatine region commissioner meetings this week arsenic section officials person debated implicit whether to number tiny handfuls of ballots. 

Democrats importune they are acting successful bully religion successful believing that rejecting someone's ballot due to the fact that of a clerical mistake violates their law rights. 

In Montgomery County, for example, officials deliberated for 30 minutes implicit whether astir 180 provisional ballots without secrecy envelopes should beryllium counted. The Inquirer reported that respective of these votes came from the aforesaid precincts, suggesting an mistake made by canvass workers. 

Democratic committee seat Neil Makhija voted to judge the ballots truthful that voters would not beryllium disenfranchised. But different members of the board, including 1 Democrat and a Republican, voted to cull the ballots connected the proposal of region attorneys who determined the instrumentality intelligibly states they should not beryllium counted. 

"We’re talking astir law rights and I cannot instrumentality an enactment to propulsion retired someone’s ballot that is validly cast, otherwise, implicit an contented that we cognize ... is immaterial," Makhija said during Thursday's meeting. The committee yet voted to number a full of 501 contested ballots. 

Similar disputes implicit hundreds of votes person played retired successful Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties. 

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Trump (L) listens arsenic David McCormick, campaigner for United States Senator, speaks during a run rally successful Reading, Pennsylvania, connected November 4, 2024.  (ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

Separately, determination is ongoing litigation implicit undated message ballots oregon those submitted with an incorrect day connected the outer envelope. Several section Democratic officials person said an incorrect day should not beryllium grounds to disqualify a person's vote. Lower courts person agreed with that reasoning, but Pennsylvania's precocious tribunal has determined the instrumentality requires close dates for message ballots to beryllium counted. 

The McCormick run and Republican National Committee person asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reaffirm its Nov. 1 determination to halt Democrats from including undated message ballots successful their last tallies. The Casey run and the Pennsylvania Department of State person countered with ineligible motions arguing that the counties should beryllium near unsocial and that the precocious tribunal request not intervene arsenic the challenges enactment their mode done the appellate process.

The unfastened defiance of tribunal precedent has prompted Republicans to outcry foul.

"Let’s beryllium wide astir what’s happening here: Democrats successful Pennsylvania are brazenly trying to interruption the instrumentality by attempting to number amerciable ballots. They are doing this due to the fact that they privation to bargain a legislature seat," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley wrote connected X. 

He said the RNC has filed 4 lawsuits contesting region decisions connected undated ballots and vowed to "fight for arsenic agelong arsenic necessary" to guarantee that McCormick's triumph is upheld.

"This is the nonstop benignant of left-wing predetermination interference that undermines elector confidence," Whatley said.

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Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey addresses supporters earlier erstwhile President Barack Obama speaks during a run rally for statewide Democratic candidates successful 2018 successful Philadelphia. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Democrats person defended their actions and pointed retired that McCormick himself had argued to number contested ballots erstwhile helium trailed personage bosom surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz successful the 2022 Republican superior for U.S. Senate. 

In that case, McCormick’s lawyer told a authorities judge that the entity of Pennsylvania’s predetermination instrumentality is to fto radical vote, "not to play games of ‘gotcha’ with them."

There are perchance thousands of mail-in ballots with incorrect oregon missing dates connected the instrumentality envelope crossed the state, though astir counties person not moved to number them. 

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A state-mandated recount indispensable beryllium finished by noon connected Nov. 26. Officials person said they bash not expect the process to alteration the result of the contention by much than a fewer 100 votes. 

Both McCormick and Casey were successful Washington, D.C., this week. Casey participated successful authoritative Senate concern and formed votes connected the level portion McCormick attended caller subordinate predisposition and met with different members of the caller Republican bulk to ballot for league leadership. 

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.