
RNC: Trump campaign sues Bucks County for ‘turning away voters’
☑️ Pennsylvania voters had a 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday to apply for a ballot
☑️ A "miscommunication" led to some in line being told they could not apply
☑️ The RNC announced at a Trump rally they are suing Bucks County
The chairman of the Republican National Committee told a Donald Trump campaign rally in Allentown it has filed a "a huge lawsuit against Bucks County" following reports early voters were turned away on Tuesday.
Pennsylvania does not offer early in-person voting like New Jersey and other states do. Instead, voters can show up at their county government offices, request a mail-in ballot and then fill out an application. That form has to be reviewed to make sure the person is an eligible voter and then approved. Once that happens, a ballot has to be printed.
It's a process that can take about 12 minutes per voter, if everything goes right, according to county election officials. Voters have the option of filling out the ballot on the spot and turning it in, taking it home, or asking that it get mailed to their house.
As a result, long lines developed outside the county offices in Doylestown as a 5 p.m. deadline loomed on Tuesday afternoon. The county admits that due to a "miscommunication," some in line were "briefly told they could not be accommodated."
"In fact, these voters were given the opportunity to submit mail-in ballot applications," according to a statement from the county.
Allegations of voter suppression
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley addressed the issue at the start of Trump's rally at the PPL Center on Tuesday.
"They are terrified, and they want to stop our momentum. We are not going to let them suppress our votes. We are going to fight. I'm proud tonight to tell you that the Trump/ Vance campaign has just filed a huge lawsuit against Bucks County for turning away our voters," Michael Whatley told the crowd. "We are going to fight this thing in court and all we ask of you is to stay in line."
Whatley did not specify where the lawsuit was filed.
The Bucks County Republican Committee, in a statement, said the Board of Election commissioners has a Democratic majority and did not plan well for the early voting.
"We understand that the Board of Elections staff are diligently working around the clock to both assist in-person voters as well as process all the necessary paperwork and preparations for Election Day. However, they should have been provided with additional trained manpower and voting equipment to handle this volume of voters," the committee said.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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