Amistad Project: GOP Congressional Candidates Demand All Votes Be Properly Counted To Prevent Disenfranchisement In Ballot Fiasco In Allegheny County, Pa

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, GOP congressional candidates Sean Parnell and Luke Negron, are demanding Allegheny County officials count every ballot intended to be cast despite confusion wrought by the county's mistake in sending out over 29,000 duplicative ballots.

Plaintiffs point out that many voters may fail to cast corrected absentee ballots mailed by the County after the County mailed over 29,000 flawed ballots to the same voters. The plaintiff congressional candidates express concern that after already casting a ballot flawed by the County's admitted error, those voters may not cast the corrected ballot out of a concern for casting two ballots.

Plaintiffs filed Declarations with the court early today, outlining their concerns with the Allegheny County Board of Elections issuing 29,000 erroneous ballots while refusing to permit poll watchers at satellite voting stations. The plaintiffs propose the County should accept the votes on the corrected ballot and also those votes properly cast on the flawed ballot if the voter has not returned the corrected ballot or otherwise cast a vote.

"Every vote must count, so the County must fulfill their sworn duty to protect every voter's ballot by properly counting every ballot cast," said GOP congressional candidate for the 17^th District of Pennsylvania, Sean Parnell. "And County officials should make sure that votes are not counted in the wrong district. The citizens of Allegheny County deserve this at a minimum," he concluded.

Adding his thoughts on the blocking of poll watchers, GOP congressional candidate for the 18^th District of Pennsylvania, Luke Negron, said, "Considering this mistake, it is only fair and it is required by law, that representatives of all of the candidates be allowed to witness the handling of these ballots and to work together to make sure the election is conducted professionally and fairly."

Both candidates urged their opponents to join their "efforts to protect the ballots and integrity of the votes cast by the citizens of Allegheny County," according to the Declarations.

The candidates originally filed their complaint on behalf of the citizens of Allegheny County to ensure that their ballots are safeguarded, and their votes are protected following revelations that erroneous ballots were mailed to registered voters with a second round of corrected ballots mailed thereafter. The plaintiffs are concerned the mistakes of the Alleghany Election Officials will disenfranchise voters who intended to vote in the 2020 General Election. 

The Declarations and the pleadings in the case outline the demands of the plaintiffs that:

• All votes are properly counted, and no ballots are thrown away;
• Only the votes properly cast by voters residing in the district should be counted, consistent with law.
• Representatives for all of the candidates should be able to be poll watchers in satellite offices as required by law and to ensure the handling of ballots is done properly and fairly.
• No candidate should have to pay the County $540,000 to help the County correct its mistake.

REFERENCE: Case No.:  2:20-cv-1570, The Hon. J. Nicholas Ranjan, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

For more information on this and related issues, go to got-freedom.org.

SOURCE Amistad Project