Under pressure from GOP lawsuit, Philadelphia takes step that will slow vote count - The Washington Post

Philadelphia leaders connected Tuesday emphasized that they were lone taking the further measurement that could dilatory the process due to the fact that of Republican litigation.

“I privation to marque precise wide that erstwhile determination are conversations that hap aboriginal this evening astir whether oregon not Philadelphia has counted each of their ballots, that the reasons immoderate ballots volition not beryllium counted is due to the fact that Republican attorneys targeted Philadelphia — and lone Philadelphia — successful trying to unit america to bash a process that nary different region does,” City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, a Republican, said Tuesday astatine a nationalist gathering of the predetermination board.

The process, known arsenic “poll publication reconciliation,” is simply a mode to forestall treble voting that Philadelphia implemented successful 2020 amid a melodramatic enlargement of message ballots successful the state. It requires that predetermination workers interrupt ballot counting to scan canvass books truthful that the lists of voters who returned message ballots tin beryllium compared to those who voted in-person. The process mostly takes 3 days, tribunal records show.

Poll publication reconciliation is not required by authorities law, according to tribunal records. And astir counties don’t bash it. But precocious past month, the Republican-led enactment known arsenic Restoring Integrity and Trust successful Elections — which includes strategist Karl Rove arsenic a laminitis and erstwhile lawyer wide William P. Barr connected its board, — backed a lawsuit seeking to unit Philadelphia predetermination officials to reinstate the process.

In a statement, the radical took recognition for persuading the metropolis to alteration its stance.

“Any duplicate ballot undermines the integrity of the system. We cognize that treble voting occurs and that it happens for assorted reasons, good, bad, ugly, and illegal,” said Derek Lyons, RITE’s President and CEO. “Conducting the audit volition support the integrity of the count. As voters progressively opt to ballot by mail-in ballot, it is much captious to audit the ballots to defender against treble voting.”

In a tweet Tuesday, the enactment said immoderate delays caused by the canvass publication reconciliation would beryllium the responsibility of metropolis officials.

City officials argued that the reconciliation process was labor- and time-intensive and nary longer needed fixed different improved procedures to forestall double-voting and voters’ increasing familiarity with message ballots. In the past 3 elections, the reconciliation process has recovered zero treble votes, tribunal records show.

City officials besides said they wanted to destruct the process to comply with a caller authorities instrumentality that provided backing to amended predetermination administration. Philadelphia received $5.4 cardinal nether that instrumentality connected the information that ballot counting proceed “without interruption.” City officials said they disquieted pausing the number to scan canvass books could beryllium deemed an interruption, which could enactment them astatine hazard of losing the assistance money.

Democratic groups that intervened successful the lawsuit said the suit was an effort to “cast uncertainty connected the validity of mail-in ballots and perpetuate the grounds escaped assertion that ‘bad things hap Philadelphia.’”

On Monday, Judge Anne Marie Coyle of the authorities proceedings tribunal successful Philadelphia declined to bid metropolis officials to reinstate the process, uncovering that to bash truthful connected the eve of the predetermination would beryllium unduly burdensome. But Coyle issued a scathing 13-page bid uncovering that metropolis officials had “failed to see the encouragement of fraudulent voting that could reasonably result” from their decision. The Republican plaintiffs instantly appealed.

“While we technically won the tribunal case,” Bluestein said astatine Tuesday’s meeting, “the sentiment was written successful a mode that we person nary different prime but to spell guardant and reinstate reconciliation.” He and Commissioner Lisa Deeley (D), chairwoman of the predetermination board, voted successful favour of reinstating the process; Commissioner Omar Sabir (D) voted against.

Most message ballots volition beryllium counted connected Tuesday, according to Deputy City Commissioner Nick Custodio. But earlier workers tin number ballots received successful the past time oregon 2 earlier polls close, they volition person to walk clip scanning successful the canvass books, arsenic they person done successful the past respective elections.