Trump Campaign, RNC Win Pennsylvania Voter ID Case

Electoral workers began processing ballots at Northampton County Courthouse in Easton, Penn., on Nov. 3, 2020. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) won a case (pdf) on Nov. 5 after the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania sided with them against Kathy Boockvar, the Democrat-appointed Secretary of State of Pennsylvania who has shown bias against Trump in the past.

In their lawsuit filed in late Wednesday, Trump and the RNC claimed Boockvar broke the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) when she improperly extended the deadline for absentee and mail-in voters to provide any missing proof of identification from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12.

“While HAVA requires that states ensure certain first-time voters provide identification in order to vote, Secretary Boockvar—three days ago—re-wrote Pennsylvania Election Code to abuse her unilateral executive fiat and move the deadline for absentee and mail-in voters to provide missing proof of identification well past the deadline,” said Trump 2020 deputy campaign manager Justin Clark.

HAVA introduced improvements to the voting system and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election. The voter ID procedure is one of the provisions of the act.

On Thursday, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of the Trump campaign and has now enforced the proper statutory deadline and ordered that those ballots be segregated and not counted.

“The RNC is doing everything in our power to ensure that these kind of issues are resolved and the letter of the law is followed,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “We will not stand idly by as Democrats use shady and illegal tactics to tip the scales in their favor and against the will of the American people.  We will continue to fight for election integrity every step of the way until the results up and down the ballot are final.”

The RNC and its Republican allies are fighting back against Democrat efforts to move the goalposts and count unlawful ballots. The RNC and Trump campaign have over 500 volunteer lawyers and multiple firms engaged in Pennsylvania, and are fully prepared to litigate as necessary to ensure the integrity of the process.

Meanwhile, state Senate Republicans President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Majority Leader Jake Corman called for Boockvar to resign in a statement issued on Nov.3.

“Twice in the last two days, the Secretary of State has fundamentally altered the manner in which Pennsylvania’s election is being conducted,” the senators said. “The constantly changing guidance she has delivered to counties not only directly contradicts the Election Code language she is sworn to uphold, but also conflicts her own litigation statements and decisions of both the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court.”

The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson for Boockvar for comment.

Masooma Haq contributed to this report.