Just two names will be on the April 23 primary ballots for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat: incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Dave McCormick.
The Pennsylvania Department of State announced last week that Republican Joseph Vodvarka withdrew from the primary while fellow GOPer Brandi Tomasetti was removed from the ballot. Democrat William Parker was also removed from the ballot.
“I am so proud to have support from Pennsylvanians across all 67 counties,” McCormick told DVJournal. “Together, we will retire Bob Casey and Joe Biden’s failed policies of an open border, soaring crime, high inflation, and an assault on our energy sector and renew our commonwealth and country.”
Tomasetti and Vodvarka’s ballot petition signature issues date back to mid-February when they failed to meet the ballot qualifications.
Brandi Tomasetti
Tomasetti, the secretary-treasurer of Conestoga Township, told DVJournal at the time that she had a “minor issue with our petitions, which we will be filing an appeal for.”
She now says her campaign found “a number of issues” while attempting an investigation into the signatures that were challenged.
“One concern is the process itself, and another is outdated voter information,” Tomasetti said. “After receiving a threat from Dave McCormick’s attorney…to burden us with their legal expenses…, we decided it was in our best interest to withdraw.”
Her ire was mostly directed at the computer program used by Pennsylvania to store voter data. Tomasetti said the 20-year-old SUREVote System “is outdated and has a history of unreliability, which I have now witnessed firsthand.”
Tomasetti claimed that system was supposed to be upgraded for this year’s election, with a “$10.7 million upgrade…but Gov. Shapiro’s administration canceled it in time for the 2024 elections.” She added an upgrade is necessary to “ensure the integrity of our elections” to keep the U.S. safe.
Pennsylvania agreed to the upgrade during former Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration. But last December, Secretary of State Al Schmidt and technology company KNOWiNK canceled the contract. Schmidt later told the state Senate that KNOWiNK “was not going to be able to fulfill” the agreement.
Vodvarka, a western Pennsylvania spring maker, hasn’t commented on withdrawing his petition. He last posted on social media on Feb. 14, claiming that he was on the primary ballot.
Tomasetti and Parker aren’t planning to end their campaigns just yet. Tomasetti asked voters to write in her name on their primary ballot. Parker posted on social media that he would appeal to the Supreme Court, claiming that the “trial court made several errors.”
