Centre County is set to receive an $863,000 election grant. Here’s why some state lawmakers want to block it
A Pennsylvania voter advocacy group, several Republican state lawmakers and three Centre County residents filed a lawsuit Friday that seeks to block the county from accepting nearly $864,000 from a private election grant.
The Pennsylvania Voters Alliance and state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, among others, argued in a 65-page federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania that the funding would disproportionately help Democrats in swing states like Pennsylvania.
The Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society, which represents voters in the lawsuit, claimed the grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life violates federal election law that prohibits local governments from accepting private federal election grants without state legislative approval.
“Government cannot be in the business of playing favorites in elections,” Director Phill Kline said in a written statement. “These targeted funds pay government officials to turn out the vote in blue jurisdictions, while the governors in these states are making it difficult and actually discouraging in-person voting on Election Day in more conservative areas of the states.”
The nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life, which was accused of having progressive leanings and giving money to municipalities that often vote Democratic, called the lawsuit “baseless.”
The funding was offered to election administrators in every state for resources like personal protective equipment and hazard pay for poll workers, the organization wrote in a statement.
“All eligible Americans deserve to have their vote count — regardless of political affiliation, whether they live in rural or urban communities, or somewhere in between. Over 1,100 election administrators across the country agree and have already applied for support,” the organization wrote. “As a nonpartisan organization backed by Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisan officials, we are confident that these frivolous charges are without merit, and look forward to continuing this critical grant program in these unprecedented times.”
Philadelphia and Delaware counties — which received about $10 million and $2.2 million, respectively — were also named in the lawsuit. Similar lawsuits were also filed in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The conservative group said the grants created a “constitutionally impermissible public-private partnership with Pennsylvania’s urban counties and cities.”
Borowicz, R-McElhattan, who did not respond Monday to a request for comment, said in the lawsuit she “opposes the election of progressive candidates in local, state and federal elections.”
Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said Monday the county was “aware of” the lawsuit.
“But we’re not going to let this deter us from holding a safe, reliable election,” he said.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 2:43 PM.