Trump already raises fraud alarms in Pennsylvania as election day nears, sparking tensions in key battleground state

With days to go before Election Day, fraud allegations are already surfacing, and Republican candidate Donald Trump is wasting no time sounding the alarm.

In a fiery post, filled with all-caps words for emphasis, Trump accused officials in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania of mishandling election processes and pointed to suspicious activity in two counties:

• York County Concerns: “Wow! York County, Pennsylvania, has received thousands of potentially fake voter registrations and mail ballot applications from a third party,” Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social. Officials in the county near Harrisburg have acknowledged receiving questionable bundles of documents and are currently investigating the incidents.
• Lancaster County Claims: Trump also alleged that 2,600 “fake” ballots and forms in Lancaster County were all filled out by the same individual. “Really nasty stuff. WHAT IS GOING ON IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law enforcement needs to do their job immediately!!! WOW!!!” he added. Local authorities previously admitted that roughly 2,500 suspicious ballot applications had been flagged, with many showing similar handwriting, false names, and fake addresses. An investigation is ongoing.

Trump’s team has also filed an initial lawsuit in Bucks County, outside Philadelphia, alleging that voters looking to pick up mail-in ballots were turned away.

Michael Whatley, the Republican Committee chairman, co-leads the party efforts with Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and has hinted that Democrats may be attempting to counteract Trump supporters’ high early voter turnout. “They’re scared! They want to slow our momentum,” Whatley asserted.

Bucks County authorities have yet to comment on these claims.

Tensions Rise Over Voting Access in Pennsylvania

Early voting, commonly available in other parts of the U.S., is not an option in Pennsylvania. With Trump’s urging, many of his supporters have applied for mail-in ballots, intensifying competition for the state’s electoral votes in this high-stakes election.

Meanwhile, alarming incidents in Washington and Oregon, where multiple containers of mail-in ballots were reportedly set on fire, have drawn national attention, with hundreds of ballots destroyed.

Trump continues to insist that his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden was the result of fraud, though he has yet to substantiate these claims. As tensions escalate, Pennsylvania remains a pivotal state that could determine the outcome of the 2024 election.