Judge Dismisses GOP Lawsuit on PA Overseas and Military Voting Rules

Judge dismisses lawsuit by six GOP Congress members over Pennsylvania's military and overseas votes, citing no grounds.
Pennsylvania mail ballots may not start going out in some counties until early October

Article Summary –

A judge dismissed a lawsuit by six Republican congressmen challenging Pennsylvania’s overseas voting checks, citing lack of grounds and timing issues. The suit sought new verification procedures for overseas ballots, potentially affecting thousands in the swing state. The judge deemed concerns hypothetical.


Judge Dismisses GOP Lawsuit Over Pennsylvania Overseas and Military Ballots

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by six GOP Congress members demanding new verification for Pennsylvania overseas and military votes. Judge Christopher Conner agreed with Secretary of State Al Schmidt and his deputy that there were no grounds for the lawsuit, filed too close to Election Day.

The congressmen “provide no good excuse for waiting,” Conner noted, with over 25,000 overseas ballots already distributed. The suit, brought by PA Fair Elections, led by Heather Honey, included GOP Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, G.T. Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, Mike Kelly, and Scott Perry. Their attorneys did not comment.

Schmidt expressed satisfaction that the “frivolous lawsuit” was dismissed. Conner criticized the plaintiffs for proposing unclear verification procedures and said an injunction would disrupt Pennsylvania’s election processes.

During oral arguments on Oct. 18, Conner questioned the timing of the lawsuit and the lack of demonstrated harm to the plaintiffs, who had “hypothetical concerns” about overseas votes affecting their elections.

The case could have impacted ballots in Pennsylvania, a key swing state in the Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump race. The plaintiffs wanted current practices deemed illegal under federal law, requiring consultation with PA Fair Elections on verifying overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. They also sought to segregate overseas and military ballots for this election cycle.

Lawyers for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration argued that the plaintiffs’ claims of vote dilution by improper votes weren’t valid grounds for action. Federal laws exempt overseas voters from common identification requirements.

Military voters often lean Republican, while other overseas voters skew Democratic. The Democratic Party is investing to increase turnout among these groups.


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