Dolores Troiani, a lawyer representing the Chester County Republican Committee, sent the county Board of Elections (BOE) three letters demanding that more Republicans be appointed as poll workers and expressing other concerns.
“We were asked by Voter Services to work with you. We proposed to work with you. We presented people who were Republicans in areas where you have only Democrats [working at the polls]” Troiani told a BOE meeting Monday.
The BOE did not respond to her letters.
“And then you wonder why people get up here and admonish you. Why would people think that you’re somehow or other engaging in nefarious activities? Well, that’s why. You never respond. You’re required by the Sunshine Act to deliberate in public or to respond in public. And you just don’t do that.”
In some precincts, there are no Republican election officials. The judge, minority, and majority inspector are all Democrats, she said.
In her Nov. 1 letter, Troiani wrote: “In Coatesville 90, the judge of elections and majority inspector are elected Democrats, and you have appointed a Democrat as a minority inspector. We propose substituting two Republicans to share the duties of a minority inspector. In Coatesville 120, you have appointed a Democrat as a judge of elections and there does not appear to be any minority inspector.
“We have proposed two Republicans who have agreed to share the duties of minority inspector on November 5. In Honeybrook 300, it is our understanding that the judge of elections, who is an elected Republican, will not be serving. We propose that you appoint Sharon Meyer to replace the elected JOE. As to Nottingham for 10 W, it is our understanding that the elected Republican judge of elections will not be serving and we propose that you substitute Robert Russell, for that position.
There does not appear to be a judge of elections for 225 E. Fallowfield, 375 E. Nantmeal, 472 Phoenixville, 565 Spring City, 345 London Grove and Tredyffrin 615 and no minority inspector for 290 Highland. If that is correct, what is the proposal for those precincts?”
Commissioner Josh Maxwell told her, “If we do, we will respond through our solicitor.”
But later in the meeting, minority Republican Commissioner Eric Roe offered amendments to the appointments motion to add Republican Robert Russell as judge of elections in West Nottingham and five people as election clerks at various precincts.
Those were approved and Troiani thanked Roe.
“Our problem is we have tried to work with voter services and this board You’ve appointed 2,324 people without any consideration…on Oct. 1, we came to you with additional people and asked that they be trained.”
But the board refused because it already had its resolution, she said.
“We could not get a copy of that resolution until Oct. 31,” said Troiani. “This is not representative government. This is not your job to hide. It’s your job to be transparent. And there is no way that you can presume this is transparency. I’m asking you to change that policy.”
She is also concerned about the 2 percent audit of machines required by the state.
“Why can’t you ask the people who represent over 40 percent of your citizens for input. Why can’t you even tell us how you arrived at the reasons that you picked certain precincts [to be audited]?” she asked.
However, the board did not address Troiani’s concerns further.
Troiani told DVJournal that the county commissioners accused her of harassing someone and threatened to refer her to the district attorney “for the crime of disagreeing with their legal interpretation.”
“As with all bullies when confronted, the solicitor immediately stated that it probably wasn’t me,” she said. “As stated in the letter, we represent a diverse group of Republicans and we refuse to be silent, or intimidated, even in the face of being called conspiracy theorists and other unfounded accusations. As inquiries are sent to us, we send them on to an unresponsive government.”
Another issue the BOE did not address is the more than 20 Republicans who applied for mail-in ballots and received return envelopes with a fold.
“We do not want anyone disenfranchised but we want a free and fair election in which we can all have confidence. The silence from the Board of Elections only fosters more mistrust,” she said.
