Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump's campaign sued Bucks County, Pennsylvania, over claims of voter intimidation and long lines as voters gathered to get mail-in ballots on the last day they were able to request them on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.
At a rally in Allentown on Tuesday, Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, told a gathered crowd that he was "proud to announce" that the lawsuit had been brought forward.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
"I'm proud tonight to tell you that the Trump-Vance campaign has just filed a huge lawsuit against Bucks County for turning away our voters," he said.
His campaign filed these documents in Bucks County:
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The Trump-Vance campaign did not initially identify any specific incident in which voters were turned away or prevented from obtaining mail-in ballots -- though Bucks County officials noted that they were aware of some stories on social media claiming people had issues obtaining mail-in ballots before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Trump's campaign claimed voters waiting in line in Pennsylvania were turned away "as early as 2:30 p.m."
Trump's campaign also shared a video from James Blair, political director of the campaign, that showed voters in line outside the government building in Doylestown, in Bucks County, and claimed that election officials were pushing people out of line as they waited for mail-in ballots.
🚨 Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
— James Blair (@JamesBlairUSA) October 29, 2024
There’s been lines like this for days across counties in PA. Only for elections officials to come out and push people out of line and tell them to come back.
Voter suppression! pic.twitter.com/aYrR1N1AeD
NBC10's Deanna Durante was in Doylestown as voters lined up to request mail-in ballots on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, and said she did not witness anyone being pushed out of line.
Durante said that at about 2:30 p.m., voters in line were told they could be sent a ballot at home or they could return the next day to pick up their mail-in ballot.
Pennsylvania does not have early in-person voting. The county had to permit voters to be able to request mail-in ballots by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, and those requests were taken, NBC10 confirmed.
Though, Durante said some voters in Doylestown on Tuesday were requesting mail-in ballots, filling them out there and immediately turning them back in.
Bucks County officials also posted on social media that voters who encountered issues Tuesday would still obtain mail-in ballots.
Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot. (1/3)
— Bucks County Government (@BucksCountyGovt) October 29, 2024
Officials in Bucks County claimed on Tuesday that "due to a miscommunication, individuals in line to apply for an on-demand mail-in ballot were briefly told they could not be accommodated. In fact, these voters were given the opportunity to submit mail-in ballot applications today."
Contacted Wednesday morning, officials in Bucks County told NBC10 that they were aware of the lawsuit, but had no further comment on any pending legal case.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
In Lehigh County, due to traffic closures and delays caused by Trump's visit to Allentown on Tuesday, election officials have extended over-the-counter mail-in balloting until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday sided with Donald Trump's campaign and agreed to extend an in-person voting option in suburban Philadelphia where long lines on the final day led to complaints voters were being disenfranchised by an unprepared election office.
Judge Jeffrey Trauger said in a one-page order that Bucks County voters who want to apply for an early mail ballot now have until Friday.
On the same day the lawsuit was filed, Trump also accused Pennsylvania of "cheating" ahead of Election Day.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump posted on Wednesday morning that "Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before."
In the post, Trump doesn't identify what, specifically, he's accusing the state of cheating at.
On Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican, addressed "media questions" over election integrity.
Schmidt said that election workers across the state are working hard to ensure the upcoming election is "free, fair, safe and secure."
"Non-partisan election officials are doing their jobs across Pennsylvania and they are working very hard to ensure we have free, fair, safe and secure elections," he said.
Also, without specifically mentioning Trump's accusation, Schmidt said that his office has already seen examples of "mis- and disinformation" floating around online, including videos that have been posted without context.
"We know there is already a lot of mis- and disinformation about Pennsylvania's elections and it's likely to continue in the coming days and weeks ahead," said Schmidt.
In a response on social media, Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro, reacted to Trump's claims, noting that the former president has attacked election integrity in the past, as well.
Republican and Democratic clerks of elections are doing their jobs here in Pennsylvania – and together with law enforcement, they’re making sure only eligible voters are able to register and vote.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) October 30, 2024
Let’s remember, in 2020, Donald Trump attacked our elections over and over.
I was… https://t.co/Ham7RnLdgD
