DV Journal

Bucks County’s election problems have become national news, but the spotlight didn’t chase local voters away.

Instead, they waited in long lines Friday, the last day of additional early mail-in voting that a judge had ordered.

The ruling came after the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against Bucks County, which had closed voting early during the on-demand mail-in ballot days the previous week. Those who were there before the cutoff times—5 p.m. in Doylestown and 4:30 p.m. at the two satellite locations—were given their ballots and allowed to put them in a drop box.

At the Levittown location, a crowd of more than 100 voters snaked around the building late Friday afternoon. Most had been there for two hours and had not reached the front of the line. Many wore Trump T-shirts or Trump stickers, which is not permitted at Election Day polling locations.

“It’s been crazy beyond words,” said Pat Poprik, Bucks County GOP chair, who was on hand. “These people waited in line for six hours.”

Candance Cabanas, the Republican running for state representative in the 140th district, offered people soft pretzels, bottled water and pizza from the GOP table.

Patty from Yardley had been in line for about an hour and 20 minutes.  She had come in the morning but learned the wait was four hours and decided to leave and come back.

“I will be out of the country on Tuesday,” she said, when asked why she was voting Friday. She’s traveling to Costa Rica.

Several others told DVJournal that they will be away on Election Day.

“I travel for work,’ said Dennis Sams, a data engineer from Fairless Hills resident. “I won’t be here next week. I was planning to vote Tuesday, but I found out I couldn’t.”

Nick Rampersuad had been in line for 2 ½ hours.

“I’ve got to travel Tuesday,” the Bristol resident said. “It’s my one chance to vote here. We got some pizza, free food.”

His daughter, Ariana, said, “It’s important to use your voice and you do that by voting.”

Leslie Lamonsoff of Levittown had been waiting “a couple of hours.”

“I thought it would be easier,” she said.  “But it will be just as bad on Tuesday.”

Bensalem resident Tiffany Cavitt is a first-time mom. She had a baby three weeks ago.

“I didn’t think I could bring him with me [to vote] and my husband will be out of town on Tuesday,” Cavitt said.

Some critics wonder if the long lines in Bucks County, which recently flipped from Democratic majority to Republican majority voter registrations, were intentional. Republican voter registration activist Scott Presler, was one who asked that on X. 

Jim Worthington, a Trump supporter whose Newtown Sports and Athletic Center has been the site of several Republican events, came to encourage the voters.

“I’m glad you’re covering this mess,” he told DVJournal. “This just shows you the importance of county government. You vote for these people, and they think this is the norm. It’s got nothing to do with Democrat or Republican. It’s the competency of the people you vote for.”

“Local government has nothing to do with abortion, immigration,” he said. “It has to do with keeping your roads clean, your snow plowed, voting, your parks. And people get the wrong idea, and they get snowed. They think I’m going to vote this way because they believe in this.

“National issues have nothing to do with where you live. And we have a big election coming next year, the DA election.  I’m a Republican. I believe in law and order. The fact of the matter is that it’s going be the most important election in Bucks County history. If we get a soft on crime person, this county’s in trouble,” Worthington said.

Later in the evening, the Trump bus stopped by. Trump surrogates former White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gridley, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-Texas), economist Peter Navarro and Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney, hopped off to a warm welcome from voters still waiting in line.

The Delaware Valley Journal has learned that the statewide SURE system has not been working properly today, Oct. 24, which has impacted printing ballots across the state.

The SURE system is an online registry that officials use to determine who is a registered voter.

“Statewide, the SURE system has been up and down, which impacts processing the applications, not printing the ballots. Harrisburg officials have reported that they have teams looking into resolving the issues. This is impacting all 67 counties’ operations in processing applications, whether they’re mail-in forms, online forms or in-person forms,” said James Allen, director of Voter Services for Delaware County.

Raffi Terzian, chair of the Chester County GOP, is very concerned about the impact on voter turnout.

“We’re having a robust early voter turnout,” said Terzian. “And Pennsylvania is the battleground. We’re the key state in the whole nation.”

Rebecca Brain, a spokesperson for Chester County, said the outage was temporary and the system was working again by late morning.

“There was a temporary outage of the SURE system, and during that time Voter Services provided options for the processing of mail-in ballots for those who were at the two Satellite Offices that are open today in Chester County.  The system is now up and running,” Brain said.

Amy Gulli, director of communications at the Department of State, downplayed the incident, saying there was “a brief IT outage impacting the SURE system, the statewide voter registration database, rendered the system inaccessible for about 90 minutes this morning. The Department was in contact with our county partners and the network administrator during that time. Connectivity has been restored to all counties, and we continue to work with them to assist voters and administer the general election.  No voters were prevented from applying for their mail ballot during that time.”

Montgomery County Commissioner and County Election Board chair Neil Makhija took a picture of himself last Tuesday with an “I voted” sticker, saying, “Happy Election Day! This morning, I cast the first 2024 General Election ballot in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!!” Makhija posted it to X.

Not so fast, said the Republican National Committee.

Those ballots, including the one used by Makhija, are being used in violation of a law that requires comprehensive testing first.

The RNC responded by suing Montgomery County.

“I write concerning the commencement of mail and absentee ballot voting in Montgomery County yesterday without statutorily required Logic and Accuracy Testing and in defiance of the March 7, 2024, Directive1 on Logic & Accuracy Testing from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, including the notice requirements,” wrote RNC lawyer Linda Kerns.

“Montgomery County Election Officials immediately cease the distribution of all mail and absentee ballots until the satisfactory completion of all mandated testing. Any and all mail and absentee ballots distributed thus far must be immediately segregated upon return so that arrangements can be made to count these ballots by hand.”

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called it “an unacceptable breach of election integrity.”

“Pennsylvania voters deserve to know why these ballots were distributed without testing and be assured Montgomery County is counting them properly,” Whatley said.

The RNC has filed a motion for a preliminary junction as well. It asks the Court of Common Pleas to order all “respondents/defendants and anyone acting on their behalf are enjoined and precluded from sending or receiving any and all ballots for the 2024 general election until further order of the Court.”

“Notwithstanding the clear requirements of the Election Coe and the Directive, defendants have commenced the 2024 general election in Montgomery County without completing the L&A testing required by the Election code, the L&A testing required by the Directive and, upon further information and belief, have not certified for the Secretary [of State] they have done so,” the suit said.

And it also demands any completed ballots that were distributed but not subjected to properly noticed logic and accuracy testing to be segregated from the rest of the ballots cast.

Megan Alt, a spokesperson for Montgomery County, called the RNC allegations “baseless.”

“Montgomery County completed ballot acceptance testing before any ballots were printed. Ballot acceptance testing ensures that marks on ballots can be accurately and efficiently scanned by the high-speed scanners once voters return the completed ballots,” Alt said.

“The county then completed its logic and accuracy testing of the central scanners that will be used in the precanvass and canvass of mail-in ballots. Once the central scanners’ logic and accuracy testing was completed, Montgomery County began to deliver mail-in ballots to the post office. Logic and accuracy testing for the precinct-level scanners used for the in-person portion of the election is ongoing.

“Montgomery County is fully complying with the Pennsylvania Election Code and Department of State directives.  The 115,000 Montgomery County voters who have requested mail-in ballots already will receive those ballots soon. Montgomery County encourages all qualified electors to make their plans for voting in the 2024 General Election and exercising their franchise.”

Speaking before a campaign event Friday for Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Makhija defended his county’s election process and attacked the RNC.

“Montgomery County has had the highest voter turnouts in the state of Pennsylvania, one of the highest rates in the country. We’re actually working so that Montgomery County has a safe and secure successful election, in spite of challenges, in spite of intimidation.

“We took a number of actions just this past few weeks to expand and double our drop boxes and satellite offices, and last night, the RNC made its first draft, putting Montgomery County in their crosshairs.

“I’m here to tell you, no matter what happens, I’m here to tell you every resident of Montgomery County is going to have access to the ballot and confidence that their vote will be counted and our election will be certified,” said Makhija.

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State House Speaker Joanna McClinton unveiled legislation at a Capitol news conference Tuesday to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to vote.

McClinton’s bill would allow registered Pennsylvania voters to vote early, in person, during the two weeks before Election Day. It would also allow same-day voter registration at polling locations the day of the election.

“Voting is at the core of our national identity and among our most valued rights as Americans,” said McClinton (D-Philadelphia). “Rather than spur distrust in our system and attack our dedicated election workers, we should look for ways to make the system accessible to more Pennsylvanians so their voices can be heard.

“Measures like these add convenience and security and have already been adopted in dozens of other states, including states with historic records of voter suppression like Florida and Georgia.”

However, her bill is likely to meet opposition from Republican lawmakers.

“We cannot properly register people to vote and administer elections on the current timelines in the law,” said House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster). “This proposal does nothing to increase Pennsylvania’s election integrity and once again injects more partisanship and mixed messaging during a presidential election year.”

But Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) suggested a compromise could be on the horizon. “A lot can happen if we get Voter ID as a constitutional amendment.”

J. Christian Adams, founder of the Election Law Center and general counsel for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, is skeptical.

“Same day registration doesn’t provide enough time to validate eligibility,” said Adams. His organization promotes ballot security and is currently suing Pennsylvania to obtain information regarding the registration of foreign nationals at PennDOT offices for more than two decades.

McClinton said same-day voter registration would allow eligible Pennsylvanians to register when it’s most relevant and convenient—on Election Day. It would also enable real-time corrections to inaccurate voter rolls, strengthening the safety and security of the election system.

It seems to be working in New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary in the nation every four years.

“New Hampshire has had election day registration since 1993. It has worked well in our state, and has resulted in consistently high voter participation rates,” New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan told DVJournal.

McClinton says allowing two weeks of early in-person voting on machines would give Pennsylvanians with demanding work schedules or family responsibilities an opportunity to cast their vote at a time that works best for them. It would also decrease congestion at the busiest polling locations. Also, it would help seniors, especially those who use wheelchairs or walkers, allowing more time to accommodate their needs.

Pennsylvania Voice Executive Director Salewa Ogunmefun support these new voting rules.

“These commonsense reforms will not only make it more convenient for all Pennsylvanians to make their voices heard at the ballot box, they will also help make our elections more secure,” said Ogunmefun. “We couldn’t be happier that Speaker McClinton has decided to make this a priority and look forward to working with her to get them passed into law.”

“I vote. I want to vote. I believe it’s my civic duty to vote. But when life becomes challenging, so can voting,” said Angela Madera, a voter from Allentown. “There are so many people like me who have to overcome barriers simply to cast our ballot. It shouldn’t be that way. Voting is our right. Pennsylvanians are busier than ever. Work schedules and family commitments vary. Our voting system needs to accommodate these new realities and reflect the needs of today’s citizens. I’m so grateful to the speaker for standing up for voters like me.”

“In order to have elections that are fully accessible to all, the Commonwealth must implement policies that are mindful of the challenges people with disabilities encounter when trying to vote. The changes proposed are welcome expansions to voting access in Pennsylvania and individuals with disabilities will especially benefit from more flexible opportunities to vote,” said Jennifer Garman, director of government affairs for Disability Rights Pennsylvania.

McClinton’s legislation compliments voting changes implemented by the Shapiro administration in 2023, including automatic voter registration when people get their driver’s licenses or state identification cards and redesigning mail-in ballots.

Spokesperson Manuel Bonder said, “Gov. Josh Shapiro is supportive of these priorities and expanding voting opportunities for eligible Pennsylvanians as we continue working to ensure our elections are free, fair, safe, and secure. The Shapiro administration looks forward to continuing to work alongside Speaker McClinton on these priorities.”

“As the birthplace of American democracy, it’s time we offered Pennsylvanians more options to vote safely and conveniently, reduce the time people wait in line to cast a ballot and guarantee that every voter has enough time to exercise their right to participate in our elections. Every voice matters.” McClinton said.

The primary is on April 23. The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is April 16.

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