PA election official apologizes for remarks on ignoring election laws

Nov 21

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

A Pennsylvania election official is facing backlash after comments she made about disregarding court rulings to count ballots that had been deemed invalid by the courts. Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia apologized Wednesday, Nov. 20, for saying, “precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country.”

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“The passion in my heart got the best of me, and I apologize again for that,” Diane Ellis-Marseglia said during a commissioner’s meeting. “We all make mistakes, and I made a mistake. Because I am an elected official, I am held to a far higher standard than everybody else.”

The comments were made during a public meeting, where the commissioner and another commissioner voted to count about 600 ballots that lacked signatures or dates. These ballots had been ruled invalid by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court before the election.

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The decision has sparked strong objections from local Republicans and legal experts, particularly as it comes amid a closely watched recount in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, where Republican Dave McCormick narrowly defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by fewer than 20,000 votes.

While the commissioner apologized for her comments disregarding legal precedent, she defended the decision to count the ballots, arguing that rejecting them would “disenfranchise voters” over what she described as clerical errors.

Bucks County voted to count the invalid ballots despite the state’s highest court ruling against it. However, after a lawsuit from McCormick’s campaign, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered all counties to “abide by its past rulings” and refrain from counting undated and unsigned ballots.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, D, weighed in this week, siding with the GOP position, stating, “Any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage to faith in our electoral process.”

Tags: 2024 Elections, Election, Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania, Republicans, Voter fraud, Voting

[Karah Rucker]

A Pennsylvania ELECTION official is facing intense backlash after comments she made about ignoring court rulings to GO AHEAD AND count ballots THE COURTS RULED WERE INVALID.

THE BUCKS COUNTY COMMISSIONER APOLOGIZING ON WEDNESDAY –

FOR SAYING QUOTE “PRECEDENT BY A COURT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE IN THIS COUNTRY”.

The passion in my heart got the best of me and I apologize again for that.

We all make mistakes and I made a mistake, and because I am an elected official, I am held to a far higher standard than everybody else.

THE COMMISSIONER’S comments were made during a public meeting, where she and another Democratic commissioner voted to count around 600 ballots that lacked dates or signatures. These ballots had been declared invalid by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court before the election. The commissioners’ decision has drawn strong objections from local Republicans and legal experts, especially as it comes amid a closely watched recount in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race WHERE REPUBLICAN DAVE MCCORMICK EDGED OUT INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT BOB CASEY BY LESS THAN 20 THOUSAND VOTES.

WHILE THE COMMISSIONER APOLOGIZED FOR HER COMMENTS DISREGARDING LEGAL PRECEDENT –

SHE JUSTIFIED HER ACTIONS OF STILL COUNTING BALLOTS WITH MISSING DATES OR SIGNATURES – SAYING IT “DISENFRANCHIZES VOTERS” FOR TOSSING BALLOTS OVER WHAT SHE DESCRIBED AS CLERICAL ERRORS.

BUCKS COUNTY ALONG WITH TWO OTHERS INCLUDING PHILADELPHIA –

HAD THEIR ELECTION OFFICIALS VOTE TO STILL COUNT THE INVALID BALLOTS –

DESPITE THE STATE’S HIGH COURT RULING FOR THEM NOT TO.

BUT AFTER A LAWSUIT FROM MCCORMICK’S CAMPAIGN –

THE STATE SUPREME COURT ORDERED ALL OF THE COUNTIES TO “ABIDE BY ITS PAST RULINGS” ABOUT THE UNDATED AND UNSIGNED BALLOTS **NOT BEING COUNTED.

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO EVEN WEIGHED IN THIS WEEK, BACKING THE GOP POSITION AND SAYING “ANY INSINUATION THAT OUR LAWS CAN IGNORED OR DO NOT MATTER IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND DOES DAMAGE TO FAITH IN OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS.”

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