Trump Campaign Sues in Philly Suburb Over Mail-In Ballots
(Bloomberg) -- The campaign of former President Donald Trump sued the board of elections in a suburban county just north of Philadelphia for allegedly turning away voters who sought mail-in ballots.
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The suit filed Tuesday in Bucks County followed claims by Trump supporters on social media that, after waiting in long lines, they were being told to leave without receiving ballots. County officials said in a post yesterday on X that there was a “miscommunication” and that some individuals who were in line were “briefly told they could not be accommodated.”
Pennsylvania Common Court Pleas Judge Jeffrey G. Trauger on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction allowing anybody to submit a mail-in ballot by the close of business on Nov. 1, finding that the county violated the state’s election code. The previous deadline had been Tuesday.
Pennsylvania, unlike many other states, doesn’t have early in-person voting, only mail-in ballots. But there are sites where voters can go in person to complete the application process for such ballots. That’s what voters are lining up for in Bucks County and elsewhere.
The Trump campaign filed the suit along with the Republican National Committee, the state Republican Party and David McCormick, the former Bridgewater Associates head who is running as a Republican candidate for Senate in the state. Pennsylvania is one of the battleground states where polls show a tight race for the White House between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bucks County, which has a population of more than 600,000, said in the X post that “contrary to what is being depicted in social media,” voters who were in line by 5 p.m. would have the opportunity to submit an application for a ballot. It also said voters can submit their application for mail-in-ballots and can pick them up later in the week.
Spokespersons for the county’s Board of Elections didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
(Updates with preliminary injunction issued by judge.)
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