Pennsylvania election officials 'bracing' for onslaught of litigation

In nan battleground authorities of Pennsylvania, which experts opportunity could determine nan victor of nan presidential race, predetermination officials person been preparing for months for millions of residents to formed their highly anticipated votes. Early voting is underway successful each county, pinch mail-in-ballots disposable for voters to formed successful personification aliases by mail.

But those predetermination officials person besides softly been preparing for different possibility: an onslaught of litigation that could flood nan courts connected Election Day and beyond.

"We are nan biggest plaything region successful nan biggest plaything state, truthful we are very conscious of nan truth that we person a batch of eyes connected us," Bob Harvie, nan Democratic vice chair of nan Bucks County Board of Commissioners, said successful an question and reply pinch ABC News.

Bucks County -- a suburb extracurricular of Philadelphia that erstwhile President Donald Trump narrowly mislaid by little than a percent constituent successful 2016 and by astir 5% successful 2020 -- has been sued 11 times since nan 2020 election, according to Harvie.

Now, Harvie said, they are "bracing" for a repeat.

They person re-engaged pinch their lawyers from 2020, Harvie said, and person made judge to archive everything they are doing,

"If we're doing everything nan correct way, and we're documenting everything, past each suit that comes our measurement -- frivolous arsenic it whitethorn beryllium -- will fail," Harvie said.

Already, a number of pre-election challenges person made their measurement to nan Pennsylvania courts arsenic portion of an aggressive push by nan Republican National Committee and nan Trump campaign's "election integrity" program. This week nan RNC brought its astir sweeping situation yet, asking nan U.S. Supreme Court to artifact Pennsylvania voters from casting provisional ballots connected Election Day if their mail-in-ballots were antecedently rejected owed to a deficiency of a secrecy letter cover -- a lawsuit they opportunity has nan imaginable to impact thousands of mail-in ballots successful nan captious state.

Carmen Egoavil, 67, votes utilizing an absentee aliases mail-in ballot arsenic Silvia Egoavil, 38, assists connected October 15, 2024 successful Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Hannah Beier/Getty Images

Josh Shapiro, nan outspoken politician of nan authorities who was nether information to beryllium Vice President Kamala Harris' moving mate earlier she chose Tim Walz, precocious said, "I do not person confidence" that Donald Trump won't mobility nan results of nan 2024 election.

"I will show nan bully group of this commonwealth and this country, we're prepared for thing Donald Trump throws astatine us, and we're going to make judge nan will of nan group is protected," Shapiro said while appearing connected ABC's "This Week" connected Sunday. On Tuesday, Trump said astatine a property convention that location were "bad spots" successful Pennsylvania, but that truthful acold nan predetermination was "going very well."

One Shapiro adjutant told ABC News that their ineligible squad has been preparing for nan predetermination and imaginable litigation since nan "first day" Shapiro took agency astir 2 years ago.

"Our attorneys are fresh to uphold Pennsylvania's Election Code and take sides voters' rights," nan adjutant said.

Pennsylvania saw a activity of litigation successful nan aftermath of nan 2020 election, arsenic portion of Trump and his allies' effort to overturn his loss. Conspiracy theories circulated rampantly aft nan authorities didn't count capable votes connected predetermination nighttime to find nan victor -- circumstances that were exacerbated by nan ample number of mail-in ballots owed to nan coronavirus pandemic.

Pennsylvania rule dictates that predetermination workers are not allowed to behaviour what is called "pre-canvassing" of mail-in ballots -- nan process of preparing mail-in ballots to beryllium counted by opening them and removing nan secrecy letter cover -- until 7 a.m. connected nan time of nan election. According to nan Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit deliberation tank, this intends that Pennsylvania, dissimilar different states, can't get a jump commencement connected tabulating mail-in votes -- which helped lend to nan hold successful 2020.

The authorities did not person last results successful 2020 until nan Saturday aft Election Day -- and that rule has not changed for nan 2024 election. However, Shapiro said nan authorities has made immoderate changes to effort to velocity things up, which he believes will lead to faster results.

"We did make 1 actual alteration since nan past clip we had a statesmanlike race, and that is erstwhile nan counties statesman counting -- it's 7 a.m. connected Election Day -- they can't stop, meaning they person to support going," Shapiro said. "The past time, immoderate of nan counties stopped, went home, slept, had some, you know, h2o and food, and came back. This time, they've made plans to spell each nan measurement through, truthful I expect it'll beryllium sooner than what we had past time.

For many, nan specter of 2020 is still hanging complete their heads arsenic they participate nan last sprint toward nan 2024 election.

"I didn't spot 2020, but my knowing is it shocked everyone pinch what was happening," said Colleen Frens, who took complete arsenic region solicitor successful Chester County successful 2021.

Chester County -- an area successful nan Philadelphia suburbs that nan New York Times said is "increasingly captious to Democrats statewide" -- did not "take nan brunt" of nan ineligible challenges successful 2020, Frens said, but nan region still reached a constituent successful caller years wherever predetermination issues were consuming astir each of its ineligible resources.

"We're benignant of ever waiting for nan adjacent footwear to drop. It's a tremendous usage of financial and quality resources," Frens said.

In all, nan region has spent astir half a cardinal dollars since 2020 connected predetermination litigation, officials told ABC News.

Recently, they person formed relationships pinch extracurricular lawyers, should they request them connected predetermination night, and person started a play gathering pinch neighboring counties to talk what they're seeing connected nan crushed and really they tin stock ineligible resources.

"We established much general thief truthful that erstwhile we request it, it's there, and we don't person to scramble," Frens said. "These are very important cases and you often only person 12 hours to draught a brief, truthful we person to propulsion successful nan resources of larger firms that person ineligible unit to thief pinch that."

"We person to salary for it, but it works," she said.