Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes. State and federal officials confirm that there was no evidence of voter fraud and called the 2020 presidential election the “most secure in American history.”
Nevertheless, Rep. Glenn Thompson chose to join Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley to overthrow the election result in Pennsylvania based on conspiracy theories. In 2019, Republican legislators in Pennsylvania voted for provisions which included expansion of mail-in ballots. They were for it, until Trump was against it. The GOP sent out mail-in ballot applications en masse in Pennsylvania.
Thompson chose to attempt to negate the ballots of Pennsylvanians on these points: ballot curing, ballot deadlines, poll watching access and uneven application of the law. All of these objections were struck down multiple times by different levels of state and federal judiciary. I would like to address each item.
If a voter was notified that their mail-in ballot was not accepted on a technical point, such as not using the security envelope or improper date, the voter could fill out a new ballot at the courthouse and the old one was destroyed. This is called ballot curing.
Mail-in ballots were sent out in certain municipalities of Allegheny County with printing errors. After the mistake was discovered, these ballots were reprinted and remailed. Some of these ballots were received late. The verdict by the courts ruled the ballots should be accepted. These ballots were set aside and counted separately pending an appeal. Even if every one of these ballots were voided, it would not have changed the election result in Pennsylvania.
Poll watchers must have a certificate obtained ahead of time at the county board of elections. A poll watcher must have that certificate at hand. Uncertified people walking in from the streets were rightfully denied access. Any one of these people could have properly filled out the paperwork to be a poll watcher, as I did.
Thompson had the opportunity to exhibit moral character, instead he chose to be a lap dog to politicians like Cruz and Hawley, whose unpatriotic stunt served their own selfish interests.
Peter Palumbo Bradford
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