US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) sued Pennsylvania Monday over absentee ballot drop-off locations.
The suit targets the elections boards of all 67 counties in the state. It says that “Free and fair elections are essential to the right of Americans to choose through their vote whom they elect to represent them.” It continues by contending that “Upending our entire election process and undermining ballot security through unmonitored by-mail voting is the single greatest threat to free and fair elections.” The complaint is seeking a to block all counties from counting absentee ballots unless they are mailed by voters directly to their county election office or dropped off in person. Such a ruling would prohibit the use of remote drop off sites statewide.
The suit also alleges that the Commonwealth has engaged in the “illegal implementation of unmonitored mail-in voting which provides fraudsters an easy opportunity to engage in ballot harvesting, manipulate or destroy ballots, manufacture duplicitous votes, and sow chaos.” Finally, it also condemns the Commonwealth’s and specifically Governor Tom Wolf’s decision to extend mail ballot deadlines during COVID-19.
The suit comes as part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to limit remote voting throughout the country. Critics claim this is an attempt to interfere in the election processes of key battleground states in the upcoming election. The issue of absentee voting has also developed into a nationwide debate amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.