Pennsylvania officials say "bad-faith" challenges target over 3,500 voters

If nan predetermination in Pennsylvania is close, caller challenges made to complete 3,500 voters, galore of whom unrecorded overseas and formed ballots by mail, could beryllium to beryllium a pivotal portion of nan effort to undermine assurance successful nan 2024 election. 

"Throughout nan time Friday, respective bad-faith wide challenges were revenge successful a coordinated effort successful counties crossed nan Commonwealth to mobility nan qualifications of thousands of registered Pennsylvania voters who applied to ballot by message ballot," nan Pennsylvania Department of State said successful a statement.

Most of nan voters are individuals who unrecorded overseas and ballot absentee nether nan Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, a federal law that has allowed definite citizens surviving overseas to ballot since 1986. This group of voters includes progressive subject members, group who activity abroad, and expats. 

Additional challenges were revenge questioning voters' residency because they had a permanent  message forwarding reside pinch nan U.S. Postal Service.

"These challenges are based connected theories that courts person many times rejected," nan Pennsylvania Department of State said.

Josh Maxwell, chair of nan Board of Commissioners successful Chester County, said nan elections agency received hundreds of challenges from activists successful his organization based disconnected USPS message forwarding data. He believes nan effort was made successful an effort to deprive morganatic voters their correct to vote.

"It's astir disenfranchising voters successful a plaything authorities and overturning nan result of an election," he said. 

Many of these challenges originate from activists associated pinch organizations that opportunity they attraction connected predetermination integrity. In Chester County, nan activistic challenging votes claimed to beryllium affiliated pinch nan group PA Fair Elections successful a video proceeding past week. PA Fair Elections is portion of a broader nationalist inaugural to scrutinize elector registrations and ballots, according to nan progressive watchdog group Documented. 

According to a study released to CBS News by Documented, PA Fair Elections is tally by Heather Honey, an activistic whose statement is known for her activity to alteration elections procedures astir nan country.

Honey is nan caput of nan Election Research Institute, and was progressive successful nan arguable petition to nan Georgia State Elections Board that would person made it easier for region boards to artifact nan certification of elections, according to ProPublica. The norm has since been blocked by a Fulton County judge. Honey denies engagement successful pushing nan Georgia rule. 

"Heather Honey is moving arsenic portion of a good funded, nationally organized effort to manufacture predetermination conspiracy theories, drum up thinly-sourced elector challenges and telephone nan results into requisition erstwhile MAGA Republicans lose," said Brendan Fisher, Documented's lawman executive director. 

PA Fair Elections denied immoderate engagement successful elector challenges successful an email to CBS News. Heather Honey did not respond to a petition for remark arsenic of publication. 

Aside from activistic groups, respective of nan challenges to individual voters came from Republican State Senator Jarrett Coleman, who submitted challenges successful Bucks and Lehigh Counties. The missive besides says he submitted a $10 interest per elector situation arsenic required. Coleman's agency did not respond to CBS News for comment. 

Now, counties pinch challenged voters must clasp a proceeding earlier nan certification deadline connected Nov. 12 astir nan position of these voters, which ineligible groups opportunity is origin for concern. The ACLU sent an email to 67 region solicitors successful Pennsylvania asking nan officials to propulsion retired nan challenges to some groups of voters.

"Counties should formally disregard aliases contradict nan challenges arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable to minimize immoderate hold aliases disruption to nan canvassing process," nan ACLU missive stated.

Both York and Chester counties person already rejected each nan challenges. 

Concern complete overseas absentee voting has been amplified by erstwhile President Donald Trump, who posted connected Truth Social successful September that Democrats "are getting fresh to CHEAT! They are going to usage UOCAVA [Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act]

 to get ballots, a programme that emails ballots overseas without immoderate citizenship cheque aliases verification of identity, whatsoever."

Overseas absentee voting has go a rallying cry for self-described "election integrity" activists who declare individuals surviving overseas could beryllium submitting fraudulent elector information. In nan past fewer weeks, 2 lawsuits astir overseas absentee voting person been thrown retired successful North Carolina and Michigan. 

With nan Pennsylvania challenges, predetermination boards are nan arbitrators, not judges. 

In:
• Pennsylvania
• Voting
• 2024 Elections