HARRISBURG, Pa. — A significant number of over 4,000 mail ballot applications have faced challenges across 14 counties in Pennsylvania, prompting election officials to assess voter eligibility in proceedings that will continue beyond Election Day.
State election authorities have indicated that these mass challenges are primarily targeting two distinct groups: individuals who may have forwarded their mail without updating their voter registration, and nonmilitary U.S. citizens residing abroad. It’s important to note that overseas voters are only eligible to vote for presidential and congressional elections under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
The deadline for filing challenges against mail-in ballot applications was set for 5 p.m. on the preceding Friday. As a result, ballots from all voters whose applications have been contested must be set aside until county election boards conduct hearings to evaluate the disputes. These hearings are required to be completed by the following Friday, which is three days post-Election Day.
Pennsylvania is recognized as a vital swing state that holds the potential to sway the contest between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, with the race remaining extremely close just before Election Day. Given the tight margins, the challenged 4,300 mail ballots could play a pivotal role in determining the winner within the state and its allocation of 19 electoral votes.
This legal scrutiny follows a federal court ruling that dismissed a lawsuit initiated by six Republican Congress members, which aimed to compel Pennsylvania election officials to implement additional checks on the eligibility and identity of military and overseas voters.
The initial hearing convened by county election boards took place on Friday in Chester County, located in suburban Philadelphia, where all challenges to mail ballot applications were dismissed—assertions that individuals had not updated their voter registration despite moving.
“It’s concerning that they sent a letter accompanied by a voter registration cancellation form, claiming that 2,300 Pennsylvania voters had canceled their registration,” Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell, a Democrat, remarked.
The cost to file these challenges is $10 per voter, and it remains somewhat unclear who is behind each filing. In Chester County, the challenges were raised by Diane Houser, a supporter of Trump, who claimed they stemmed from a nonpartisan grassroots movement.
Lycoming County is slated to conduct its hearing on the 72 challenges submitted by Karen DiSalvo, an attorney affiliated with PA Fair Elections, a conservative group known for its role in right-wing criticisms of voting practices. DiSalvo stated that her challenges were submitted in her personal capacity and not connected to any organization.
“The submitted challenges highlight that county election officials have the responsibility to appropriately process existing voter registration applications. All affected voters have received their ballots, thus, county officials should focus on ensuring proper registration,” DiSalvo explained via email.
In York County, the election board denied all 354 challenges on Monday, but chief clerk Greg Monskie confirmed that the ballots would still be kept separate for potential appeals.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, around 3,700 challenges involving overseas voters were pending as of Saturday across ten counties. Furthermore, there were ongoing challenges in four counties involving 363 voters related to alleged address changes, in addition to 212 that had been either rejected or withdrawn in Chester County.
Chester’s Republican commissioner, Eric Roe, expressed concern regarding the legitimacy of those challenged, noting that it included active-duty military personnel, college students, and those who had left the state for medical treatment.
“It is troubling that there are efforts to disenfranchise legitimate Pennsylvania voters. I find that fundamentally un-American,” Roe stated.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania pointed out that submitting a change-of-address form does not automatically denote a permanent move out of the state, as individuals may use such forms for mail forwarding purposes.
Additionally, in Lawrence County, there are 52 challenges under review, primarily concerning overseas mail ballot requests, according to Tim Germani, director of voter and elections services there. A hearing may need to be scheduled before Friday to address these issues.
In Bucks County, situated in suburban Philadelphia, nearly 1,300 challenges have been recorded—most filed by Republican state Senator Jarrett Coleman. County officials are making efforts to inform voters about a hearing set for early Thursday, and until that time, these ballots will be kept separate during the counting process. Bucks County spokesman Jim O’Malley emphasized that efforts were being made to notify voters about their situation.
Efforts to obtain comments from Coleman have not yet yielded a response.