HARRISBURG, Pa. — On Tuesday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought forth by six Republican congressional members that requested Pennsylvania election officials to implement new measures to verify the identity of military personnel and overseas voters, ensuring their eligibility to vote.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner sided with the defendants, Secretary of State Al Schmidt and one of his senior officials, who asserted that the lawsuit lacked legal basis and was submitted too close to the upcoming Election Day.
In his ruling, Judge Conner highlighted that the plaintiffs provided insufficient justification for their decision to file the lawsuit only weeks before the election. He pointed out that over 25,000 ballots meant for overseas voters had already been distributed when the suit was initiated in late September.
The lawsuit emanated from six of Pennsylvania’s eight Republican members in the U.S. House – Representatives Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, G.T. Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, Mike Kelly, and Scott Perry. The other plaintiff was PA Fair Elections, a group led by election researcher Heather Honey, known for her criticisms against current voting procedures. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs were unreachable for comments on Tuesday.
Following the ruling, Secretary Schmidt expressed satisfaction with the dismissal of what he termed a baseless lawsuit, stating during an online election update that his department was pleased with the outcome.
The judge noted that the plaintiffs sought to introduce new verification protocols that they had not clearly defined after weeks of litigation. He warned that granting an injunction at this stage would disrupt the established election processes of the commonwealth, negatively impacting countless voters.
During a hearing on October 18, Judge Conner challenged the plaintiffs about their procrastination in filing a lawsuit regarding procedures that had been in place for several years. He pressed their attorneys for evidence demonstrating how the current policies had directly harmed their clients, a necessary component for such claims.
In his order issued Tuesday, the judge stated that the Republican congressmen only expressed “hypothetical concerns” surrounding how overseas votes might affect their reelection efforts, emphasizing that merely holding candidate status did not provide sufficient ground for their claims.
The implications of this case could have influenced a significant number of ballots in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The plaintiffs sought a judicial declaration that current voting practices violated federal law and requested that state election officials engage with them and PA Fair Elections to outline effective methods for verifying the identities and eligibility of voters under the U.S. Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. They also proposed that military and overseas ballots be kept separate during the election season until additional verification was achieved.
Attorneys representing Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration countered that the claim of valid votes being diluted by illegitimate ones did not constitute adequate justification for judicial intervention. They emphasized that federal regulations exempt overseas voters from identification criteria imposed on other mail-in voters.
With military voters tending to lean Republican and other overseas voters often supporting Democrats, the Democratic Party is investing in efforts to enhance their voter turnout this year.
