Pennsylvania's Democratic election official apologized Wednesday for causing controversy, saying the precedent was “not important in this country” as the state begins a recount of the U.S. Senate race.
At last week's meeting, Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis Marseglia (D) voted in favor of counting provisional ballots that were missing one of two required voter signatures. She did so after being told by the county attorney that the state Supreme Court had already ruled that such ballots could not be counted.
“We all know that court precedent no longer matters in this country and that people break the law all the time,” Elise Marseglia said in a video that later went viral on social media. “So for me, if I'm going to violate this law, it's because I want the courts to pay attention. There's nothing more important than counting the votes.”
Elise Marseglia read an apology to a packed meeting Wednesday in front of an outraged nation, amidst jeers and calls for her resignation.
“Last Thursday, when I told the conference that you were all gathered here, the passion in my heart overwhelmed me. I apologize again for that,” she said. “That was a public hearing and we were talking about provisional ballots, especially certain provisional ballots that election judges haven’t signed and haven’t verified that the voter signed the outer envelope. We were talking about the fact that, for me, it wasn't because someone made a mistake, it was an employee, one of our members…an election judge. It's frustrating and unconscionable that we have to take away someone's vote because one of them didn't know what to do or forgot or didn't do this issue that I talked about. It spread from my comment. It really wasn't a good word. I should have said it more clearly.”
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Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis Marseglia apologized Wednesday. (Bucks County)
Ellis Marseglia claimed that she was referring to precedent regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, a claim that drew loud groans from the crowd.
“I want to remind everyone that we all say things that are off the mark and we all make mistakes. I have made mistakes too! And because I am an election official, They are held to a much higher standard than someone else,” she said. “When I inadvertently spoke and used the word precedent while talking about provisional voting, I was referring to the U.S. Supreme Court and the precedent lost in many issues, including Roe v. Wade. is.”
When Ellis-Marseglia responded, banging the gavel and saying, “If you could just hold on for one more minute!” the audience erupted with boos and groans.
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“Unfortunately, I took my frustrations out on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, many of whom I respect and respect, and whose decisions are complex, difficult and important,” she said. “We're all going to learn lessons from this new media landscape, and most of all I am. I'm a small fish in this big pond. I don't have a megaphone on Twitter or CNN. And I'm not a government secretary.''I'm not campaigning for president in the state, but this is my only chance to set the record straight. ”
Dave McCormick greets supporters in Pittsburgh on May 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Elise Marseglia said she received messages from hundreds of people, “all of which contained horrifying expletives” and many of them included death threats against her and her family.
The first clip of Ellis-Marseglia's comments drew widespread condemnation from conservatives on social media.
“This is a clear violation of the law and we will fight this every step of the way,” Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, wrote in a post on X. said. It received 1.2 million views.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey addresses supporters before former President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on September 21, 2018. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ruled that return envelopes must have the correct handwritten date, in light of the ongoing vote counting in the U.S. Senate race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Sen. David McCormick. Ordered counties not to count unmarked mail-in ballots. . Mr. Casey has refused to concede the race despite calls from The Associated Press to endorse Mr. McCormick earlier this month.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement that a lack of legal clarity surrounds ballots and that county officials are “blamed if you vote, damned if you don't vote. “They are likely to face disciplinary action.” It matters what kind of calculated decisions they make. ”
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As of Thursday morning, McCormick had a 0.24 percentage point lead, according to Pennsylvania's election results website. Under state law, recounts are triggered by differences of less than 0.5%. The statewide recount began Wednesday morning. Must be finished by November 26th.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
