A letter sent Thursday by the Republican National Committee (RNC) said Pennsylvania Democrats may be illegally recruiting election observers from outside the state, which could violate state election law.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party Website The state party's guidelines state that poll watchers hired must be physically present in the state, but “do not necessarily have to be eligible to vote in the state of Pennsylvania.” These state party guidelines are allegedly in contradiction to Pennsylvania law. need According to the RNC letter, election observers must be “qualified registered electors” in the county where voting takes place. (Related article: House passes bill to block voting rights for illegal immigrants)
“This statement about election observers in Pennsylvania is completely inaccurate,” Linda A. Karns, Pennsylvania election integrity counsel for the Republican National Committee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Our laws are very strict on this. Candidates can't even enter a polling place unless they're actually voting. If you want to be an election observer, you have to be a resident of the county in which the precinct is located.”
“The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is soliciting individuals to violate state law,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow and election law reform initiative manager at the Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
A poll worker processes ballots at an election warehouse in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 8, 2022. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP) (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
In its letter, the RNC not only challenged the legality of these guidelines, but also argued that recruiting election observers based on their restrictions could undermine the legitimacy of the election results. (Related: Greg Abbott removes thousands of foreigners and dozens of dead people from Texas voter rolls)
“That's wrong, and the last thing voters need is for misinformation like this to be spread,” Khan told the DCNF. “I think Democrats know that. People have the right to go to the polls and cast their ballots without any hassle. That's what our law is about.”
“The misinformation posted on the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's website threatens the integrity of November's general election,” the letter read. “Democrats cannot be allowed to recruit poll watchers in violation of the law and flood our state's polling places with unqualified, out-of-state poll watchers. We urge your office to issue a public statement clarifying that poll watchers must be registered voters in the county in which they serve as poll watchers.”
The RNC also voted to appoint Pennsylvania Democrat statement The RNC describes its “early poll observers” on its website as “assisting voters outside of elections boards and satellite locations as they cast their ballots.” The RNC argued that hiring these “early poll observers” could “create chaos” at election offices and jeopardize the observers' ability to “engage in monitoring voter activity.”
“This is a serious error of Pennsylvania election law,” the letter reads. “In the interest of all candidates and parties, please clarify the scope of permissible activities regarding surveillance at satellite election offices and whether the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's proposed activities are consistent with your position as commissioner in Philadelphia.” (Related article: Trump and Harris in close race in battleground states: poll)
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
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