PA Supreme Court rejects Trump challenge to absentee ballots in Allegheny County
President Trump’s attorneys asked the courts to throw out ballots that were missing information.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the Trump campaign lawsuits Monday that called for the dismissal of more than 8,000 absentee ballots in Allegheny County.
In five lawsuits, President Trump’s attorneys asked the courts to throw out ballots that were missing information, such as a handwritten name or address or the date on which the ballots were signed. In its ruling, the state’s Supreme Court determined the ballots should be considered valid.
“Here we conclude that while failures to include a handwritten name, address or date in the voter declaration on the back of the outer envelope, while constituting technical violations of the Election Code, do not warrant the wholesale disenfranchisement of thousands of Pennsylvania voters,” the ruling said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PERDUE, LOEFFLER BACK TRUMP CALL FOR GEORGIA RECOUNT, MORE SIGNATURE MATCHING
In addition, the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that had invalidated 2,349 ballots in Allegheny County over missing information. The ruling was a setback for Trump as the state’s counties move forward with efforts to certify the Pennsylvania vote.
“The Trump campaign was attempting to throw out ballots from eligible voters. Guess what? They just lost in the PA Supreme Court. Again,” Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro said in response to the ruling.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump has yet to concede defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, who surpassed the 270 electoral vote threshold required to assume the White House earlier this month with projected victories in Pennsylvania and Nevada. Trump’s attorneys have argued that Republican poll watchers were denied adequate access to oversee the ballot counting practice and allege that mail-in ballots were rife with fraud.
On Saturday, a federal judge blocked the Trump campaign’s bid to block certification of the Pennsylvania vote amid claims of voting irregularities. In a scathing order, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Brann dismissed the challenge and said Trump attorneys had failed to provide evidence to support their claims.