The Trump campaign scored a legal win in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, securing a court injunction extending the deadline for mail-in ballot applications in Bucks County by one day. This comes after the campaign filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging that officials violated state election law by turning away voters who were still in line to apply for mail-in ballots after the initial deadline.
The lawsuit focused on the events of October 29th when voters attempting to apply for mail-in ballots before the 5 p.m. deadline were denied and ordered to leave by Bucks County election officials. The court ruled that these actions violated Pennsylvania’s Election Code and ordered Bucks County to allow voters to apply and obtain mail-in ballots until the close of business on November 1st.
This legal victory is significant for the Trump campaign, particularly in a key battleground state like Pennsylvania. Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley celebrated the win on X, stating, “We just won the Trump Campaign/RNC lawsuit against Bucks County, PA. We will now have extended early in-person mail-voting through November 1st — three extra days. We will keep fighting. Go vote! Stay in line!”
During a press call, Whatley emphasized the importance of this victory: “We have heard that we won this lawsuit, and Bucks County has extended pre-Election Day voting through November 1. This is a landmark victory that will allow our voters to cast those votes pursuant to Pennsylvania law. The RNC will leave no stone unturned in ensuring a fair, accurate and secure and transparent election, not just for Republican voters, but for all voters.”
The Trump campaign has been actively challenging election processes across the country, citing concerns over potential voter fraud. The campaign and the RNC joined forces with Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick in this specific lawsuit against Bucks County.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt highlighted the significance of the victory in a press call: “Just two days ago, a Trump supporter was arrested in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, for encouraging voters to stay in line, and we have seen multiple other instances of voters being turned away early in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That’s why last night, the Trump campaign and the RNC we filed a lawsuit against Bucks County to provide more early voting opportunities, and we just won that lawsuit just about 30 minutes ago.”
Leavitt further emphasized the campaign’s commitment to election integrity: “We have engaged in more than 130 election integrity lawsuits across the country this cycle. Our goal is to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat, and we are going to continue to fight for that until the last ballot is counted. Today’s big victory really represents a defeat for the Democrats’ voter suppression efforts. They are seeing the early voting numbers from Republicans in key states across the country, and we are very much again, focused on securing the vote for all Americans.”
The outcome of this legal battle in Bucks County is a significant development in the ongoing debate about election integrity and the accessibility of voting in the 2024 presidential election.