Former President Donald Trump and his allies are seizing daily election proceedings in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania as signs of fraud, ramping up allegations, videos and lawsuits about voting irregularities, even as local election officials push back.
The playbook is familiar: As in 2020The Trump campaign has been releasing viral videos of alleged wrongdoing and promising eager supporters a legal showdown that pundits fear. can be used to challenge the results from the election if he loses.
On Tuesday, Trump supporters released videos of long lines in Buck County, Pennsylvania, where voters waited to request in-person mail-in ballots. A social media post by James Blair, Trump’s political director, said the line in one area was shut down around 2:30 p.m.
“It’s oppressive and intimidating,” Blair wrote on X, which was seen by 1.8 million people. Elon Musk, the owner of X and a supporter of Trump, asked, “Why do they do this?” he answered.
Pennsylvania does not offer in-person early voting. Election officials allow voters to request, fill out and return postal ballots in person at the county election office, issuing early mail ballots.
On Tuesday, Bucks County spokesman James O’Malley said officials closed the line in the afternoon as long lines formed so the office would close as scheduled at 5 p.m. Unlike on Election Day, there is no statutory requirement that county offices stay open late for voters in line.
Tuesday night, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley told a cheering crowd a Trump campaign rally in Allentown said the party is going to court against the county.
“I’m proud tonight that the Trump-Vance campaign made a big case against Bucks County for turning their backs on our voters. We will fight this issue in court.”
The filing, filed Wednesday, requested extended hours to request mail-in ballots and a declaration that Bucks County was in violation of the law.
Bucks County too It is acknowledged in X On Tuesday, the county said there was some miscommunication with voters on the last day to receive mail-in ballots, but voters were allowed to file their applications until 5 p.m.
Whatley claimed a “victory” Wednesday after a judge said the county did indeed violate the law and that in-person mail-in ballots can continue until Nov. 1.
Nate Persili, an NBC News election law professor and professor at Stanford Law School, said the Trump campaign is laying the legal groundwork to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris if she wins.
The campaign is “placing signs to preserve arguments for potential election contests,” he said. “It also prepares the public for possible accusations that the election was flawed and corrupt – or perhaps I should say rigged.”
Trump’s campaign has filed dozens of lawsuits across the country in the wake of the 2020 election, from dead voters to hacked voting machines.
“The arguments in court were conflicting and it felt like they were throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what stuck. It wasn’t hard for the courts to find out where the evidence was, was it?’ Percy said. “At the moment, they are making these accusations more concrete and then, if the election is near, they are trying to create a basis for protest.”
Trump and his supporters have also pointed to other incidents in Pennsylvania in recent days to push the narrative of voter fraud.
Trump claimed Monday night that there were thousands of fraudulent ballots and fraudulent mail-in ballot applications in Lancaster and York counties in Pennsylvania. His claims are exaggerated Reception of Lancaster County officials that they have detected and rejected hundreds of fraudulent voter registration applications, and that other states have seen similar applications.
York County officials said they are reviewing a large portion of voter registration and mail-in ballots, but have so far declined to provide more details.
“Really bad” stuff. WHAT IS GOING ON IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law enforcement needs to do their job, immediately!!! WOW!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
RNC Chairman Whatley also released a photo of a woman who was arrested Monday at a voter service center in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
“This is suppression of voters from the left. Don’t let him turn away from you,” he wrote in X.
Delaware County officials said in a statement that the woman was “disruptive, belligerent and attempted to influence voters waiting in line” and was arrested by local police.
Video of the woman, RNC representative and volunteer Val Biancaniello, being escorted away in handcuffs was widely shared by Trump allies, including one of them. which helped orchestrate similar fraudulent claims in 2020. The next day, he was side by side with Whatley in a video released on X.
“There’s a lot of voter suppression going on in Delaware County and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, we should have free and fair elections. And that’s why it’s so important to elect Donald J. Trump,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning, Trump ramped up his claims of voter fraud.
“Pennsylvania is being cheated and caught on a massive scale rarely seen before. REPORT TO THE AUTHORITY IN ADVANCE. Law enforcement must act, NOW!” the former president wrote.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro responded to the X post, writing that Trump is using “the same playbook to incite chaos” that he did four years ago.
“[H]Hear me out on this: we’re going to hold another free and fair, safe and secure election, and we’re going to respect the will of the people.” Shapiro sentdemocrat.