In battleground Pennsylvania, election officials 'bracing' for onslaught of litigation

Source: ABC News

October 29, 2024, 5:40 PM


In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, which experts say could decide the winner of the presidential race, election officials have been preparing for months for millions of residents to cast their highly anticipated votes. Early voting is underway in every county, with mail-in-ballots available for voters to cast in person or by mail.

But those election officials have also quietly been preparing for another possibility: an onslaught of litigation that could flood the courts on Election Day and beyond. "We are the biggest swing county in the biggest swing state, so we are very conscious of the fact that we have a lot of eyes on us," Bob Harvie, the Democratic vice chair of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, said in an interview with ABC News.

Bucks County -- a suburb outside of Philadelphia that former President Donald Trump narrowly lost by less than a percentage point in 2016 and by about 5% in 2020 -- has been sued 11 times since the 2020 election, according to Harvie. Now, Harvie said, they are "bracing" for a repeat.

They have re-engaged with their lawyers from 2020, Harvie said, and have made sure to document everything they are doing, "If we're doing everything the right way, and we're documenting everything, then every lawsuit that comes our way -- frivolous as it may be -- will fail," Harvie said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/battleground-pennsylvania-election-officials-bracing-onslaught-litigation/story?id=115111489