No voter fraud in Pa. election but concerns about ballots, process persist, Corman says
Pennsylvania’s Senate majority leader disputed claims about voter fraud on Friday, but state Republicans are still pushing concerns about “irregularities” in the election.
“I have no knowledge of any voter fraud; I have no knowledge of any misdeed — other than the process — which the Department of State ran this election. That is the unfortunate part,” Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, said. “Because no matter who wins, you’re now going to have 50% of the population, no matter which side, that’s going to not have faith in the result.”
As counties worked to finish counting mail-in ballots Friday, Corman and House Speaker Bryan Cutler held a press conference in Harrisburg to discuss concerns about election security and the results certification process. The Republican leaders expressed concern with how the Department of State conducted the general election and claimed it did not adhere to election code.
“What we didn’t want was the disputed election,” Corman said. “Unfortunately, the actions of the Department of State have brought that into question.”
On Tuesday, Corman called for the resignation of Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, saying she “fundamentally altered the manner in which Pennsylvania’s election is being conducted.” Boockvar responded to Corman’s remarks during a press conference Tuesday evening and said she has no plans to resign.
While President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit to stop ballot counting in Pennsylvania, Corman has repeatedly said he wants every “legal ballot” to be included in results. He defines that as those received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, but earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that counties could accept mail-in and absentee ballots until Nov. 6 as long as they were postmarked by Election Day or showed no signs of being mailed after the election.
“The law states 8 p.m. on Election Day,” Corman said. “If a ballot is not here prior to that, then it does not count.”
Cutler listed a series of concerns about election security and the voting process, citing a lack of consensus on election procedures, an “unprecedented number” of provisional ballots and said the Department of State was not “fully compliant” with segregating ballots received after Election Day.
Cutler said he was alarmed by the “unprecedented” number of provisional ballots issued in the general election, saying they are indicative of challenges to voters.
But last year’s election reforms increased the ability for provisional ballots to be issued. If a voter applied to vote by mail and never received their ballot or decided to vote in person, the state instructed them to vote by provisional ballot at their polling place.
“More provisional ballots were issued because they increased the availability,” Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said Friday. “This year, it was the greatest latitude that Pennsylvania has ever had to issue provisional ballots.”
In the months leading up to the election, Corman said the state legislature would play no role in choosing the state’s presidential electors — saying the state’s electors are chosen only by the popular vote of the commonwealth’s voters.
When asked Friday to confirm if the state legislature will award the state electors to the party that wins the popular vote, Corman said he does not like “to get into hypotheticals” but outlined his understanding of the election code.
“We will follow the law,” Corman said. “That’s all we’ve asked for in this process all along.”
“Under normal circumstances,” the legislature plays no role in selecting electors, he said.
Unofficial results are due to the Department of State Tuesday, but official result certification is not scheduled until Nov. 23. According to election code, the winner of the popular vote is certified by the Department of State. Electors, appointed by the winning political party, are then submitted to the governor for approval. Electors then convene in December to cast their votes as part of the Electoral College.
“I don’t think there’s any useful discussion of electors, and certainly, it’s not our role to do this,” Corman said. “Our role is to monitor the process. Our role is to provide oversight.”
In a statement Friday, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said he supported Cutler’s call for the election results to be audited prior to certification by the Department of State.
“I want to assure Pennsylvanians and the American people that we are closely monitoring election-related misconduct and will use every legal and legislative tool at our disposal to stand up for the rule of law and the legitimacy of our elections,” he said.
