It begins: Republicans announce first lawsuit in Pennsylvania county with claims of voters being turned away

The Trump-Vance campaign is launching a legal battle against Bucks County, alleging long lines and early cut-offs at county election offices denied voters the chance to request and cast mail ballots. Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley announced the lawsuit at Trump’s Allentown rally on Tuesday night.

“I’m proud to announce that the Trump-Vance campaign has just filed a major lawsuit against Bucks County for turning away our voters,” Whatley told the crowd. “We’re taking this fight to court, and all we ask of you is to stay in line. Donald Trump needs your votes. America needs Pennsylvania.”

Confusion Over Filing Status and Frustration Over Voting Procedures

Although Whatley claimed the suit had been filed, it did not appear in Bucks County’s court records by Tuesday evening. Growing frustrations from Republicans stem from the county’s handling of Pennsylvania’s on-demand mail voting system, a complex alternative to early in-person voting used in other states.

Bucks County officials cited lengthy wait times for turning away voters at designated closing times, explaining that processing on-demand mail ballots takes around 12 minutes per person, slowing lines considerably. On Tuesday, the state’s final day for mail ballot requests, a top Trump campaign staffer posted footage of officials cutting off lines at 2:30 p.m., which Republicans claim unfairly disenfranchised voters who were in line by the posted hours.

Mixed Guidance and Challenges for Election Officials

In response to mounting frustrations, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt urged counties to ensure voters in line were accommodated. While Bucks County cut off access to new mail ballot requests around 2:30 p.m., they did allow those in line by 5 p.m. to proceed. Driven largely by skepticism toward the U.S. Postal Service, many voters opted for in-person mail ballot requests, further straining election office resources.