Republicans are sowing the seeds of electoral chaos

In my district to date, 11,300 or 61% of Democratic voters have applied to vote by mail compared to 4,600 or 25% of Republicans. The surge of enthusiasm we are seeing in Democratic voters in Pennsylvania is scaring the bejesus out of Republicans in Harrisburg. Their fear of a blue wave has caused them to embrace every trick they can find in the voter suppression handbook, including plotting to ignore the will of voters and using an archaic loophole in the United States Constitution that potentially could allow them to seat their own set of pro-Trump Electoral College electors in defiance of election results.

Voter suppression tactics are nothing new for the right wing but in this election their conniving has taken on an air of desperation as Harrisburg Republicans answer the clarion call of Donald Trump to undermine mail-in-voting and voters’ confidence in the outcome of the election. Their goal is to create chaos, setting the stage for legal challenges to election results that growing evidence suggests will not be in their favor. Their full-frontal embrace of voter suppression tactics includes:

• Attempting to shorten the time period in which voters may request a mail-in ballot
• Trying to eliminate satellite ballot drop-boxes
• Appealing to the United States Supreme Court to reverse a ruling made by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court requiring election authorities to accept mail-in ballots received up to three days after November 3, as long as the ballots are postmarked on or before Election Day (a ruling made necessary because of Republican attempts to impede the Post Office’s ability to process mail-in ballots in a timely manner)
• Refusing to allow election authorities to begin counting ballots before Election Day
• Eliminating the requirement that poll watchers must be from the county where they seek to serve as a credentialed election observer

And, to make matters worse, Donald Trump is hell-bent on stacking the Supreme Court in his favor in the event the high court has to serve as the final arbitrator in any election disputes.

Be assured that the Governor, legislative leaders and Democratic Party officials are anticipating and preparing for an array of legal challenges and electoral eventualities. Unfortunately, I do not believe we have a level playing field. We would all like to have confidence in our system of justice and electoral process but early indications raise legitimate concerns as to what extremes our opponents will go.

There is one sure-fired way to counter the chaos the Republicans are seeking to create. We must win this election decisively and we must flip the Pennsylvania House from red to blue. We need a victory that does not leave one scintilla of doubt as to the outcome. We must make this election challenge-proof and have a new majority in the legislature to prevent any further electoral shenanigans.

To that end, if you applied to vote by mail, follow the voting instructions (don’t forget the secrecy envelope) and mail your ballot as soon as you get it or take it to a designated drop box location. If you are not voting by mail, consider voting early in person at the Chester County Voter Services office from now through Election Day or at one of two satellite offices beginning October 5, 2020. If you plan to vote at your polling place in person on Election Day, please bring a friend or family member, vote early and stay safe.

Vote! Vote! Vote! The democracy you save may be yours.

Thanks for reading,

Kristine

P.S.  A donation to my campaign supports our efforts to flip the Pennsylvania House from red to blue.

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