The Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed two new lawsuits in Pennsylvania following a decision by several state boards of elections to count undated mail ballots, as per the state supreme court's ruling on the matter.
These legal actions have been taken in response to Democrat incumbent Sen. Bob Casey's refusal to concede the closely contested race to his GOP challenger, Sen.-elect Dave McCormick.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley announced the lawsuits on Wednesday evening, stating that they aim to halt the counting of what they deem as illegal ballots. Whatley emphasized the importance of upholding the democratic process in Pennsylvania and ensuring that the final vote count is not compromised by the inclusion of such ballots.
The Philadelphia City Commissioners confirmed that several Pennsylvania county boards of elections, including Philadelphia, had decided to count a small number of undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots. The RNC has petitioned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to prevent all counties from counting these ballots and has also challenged Bucks County's decision to include such ballots.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt disclosed that the unofficial results of the U.S. Senate race triggered an automatic statewide recount. As of the latest update, Casey had secured 3,350,972 votes (48.50%), while McCormick had garnered 3,380,310 votes (48.93%).
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent ruling overturned a Commonwealth Court decision just before the election, which had deemed the state law requiring a handwritten date on mail-in ballots as unconstitutional. The GOP welcomed this ruling, highlighting their efforts to uphold the dated ballot requirement against repeated challenges from Democrats.
With the recount process set to commence and conclude within specific timelines, the outcome of the closely watched Senate race in Pennsylvania remains uncertain amidst legal battles and electoral procedures.
