As Election Day nears, Donald Trump has shared false and exaggerated claims about the integrity of the vote in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
In a Truth Social post on Monday evening, Trump claimed multiple counties in Pennsylvania were experiencing major potential fraud, outpacing the facts on the ground.
Trump makes claims of potential fraud in York County
“Wow! York County, Pennsylvania, received thousands of potentially fraudulent voter registration forms and mail-in ballot applications from a third-party group,” Trump told his millions of followers. “This is on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2,600 fake ballots and forms, all written by the same person. Really bad ‘stuff.’ What is going on in Pennsylvania??? Law enforcement must do their job, immediately!!! Wow!!!”
Officials respond to Trump’s claims in York County
The former president is closer to the truth regarding York County. There, officials said last week they had received an unusually large volume of election-related materials, including voter registration forms and mail-in ballot applications, from an unnamed third-party group.
Local officials urged the public not to rush to conclusions.
Lancaster County responds to investigation details
“We don’t have a lot of details about these applications, so it’s important we not rush to judgment,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said in a news conference on Monday, asserting that the flagged application materials were evidence that the elections process was functioning normally, with built-in checks and balances. “We hope for a speedy and accurate conclusion to the investigation and hearing from the county.”
Trump’s misrepresentation of Lancaster County details
Trump incorrectly described the election investigation in Lancaster County. Officials announced last week that some unspecified portions of a batch of 2,500 voter registration forms might be fraudulent, with some showing possible signs of duplicate handwriting and fake names and addresses. The county board of elections clarified that it was reviewing the materials as part of routine checks.
Lancaster officials are not investigating “fake ballots,” as Trump claimed.
Context from 2020 election claims in Pennsylvania
During the 2020 election, Trump frequently made false claims about the vote in Pennsylvania, which Joe Biden won by less than one percent. Current polls show Trump and Harris virtually even in the state.
