The Democratic chairman of Pennsylvania's major county election board apologized Wednesday for saying “court precedent no longer matters” as he voted to count hundreds of missing mail and provisional ballots. did.
“I apologize for the upset and confusion I have caused to the residents of Bucks County, the hard-working employees of this county, my family, and those who share my last name,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis Marseglia said in a statement. I wanted to start with that.” Wednesday meeting.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I care deeply about elections and have been involved in them virtually my whole life, and like you and all Americans, I “I want this election and all elections to be fair, to be honest, just and someone we can have confidence in,” she continued.
Ellis-Marseglia drew national attention last week when she voted to count hundreds of mail-in ballots with undated or incorrect dates, as well as provisional ballots with errors.
“I think we all know that court precedent no longer matters in this country and people can break the law whenever they want. So for me, if you break this law, it's Because we want the courts to pay attention,” Ellis Marseglia said.
The comment prompted widespread criticism, given that state election law prohibits the counting of ballots that do not meet technical requirements. Voter groups and Democrats have filed various challenges, but before the election, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the date requirement must continue this term.
The court on Monday reiterated its position that officials cannot ignore election law, with several judges reprimanding Ellis Marseglia and other officials for defying the court.
At issue are about 600 votes from Bucks County, as well as several hundred others from places like Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. As the controversy heated up, Bucks County officials reported receiving threats.
The controversy is gaining particular attention as Pennsylvania's Senate race heads toward an automatic recount.
The Hill partner Decision Desk Headquarters projects Republican Dave McCormick to be the winner. However, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), who has a narrow margin of about 16,000 votes, has not yet conceded.
Both sides continue to fight in state court over the validity of various ballots.
