Tag: pennsylvania

PA Supreme Court rules that misdated ballots must not be counted

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has determined that the two biggest counties in the state do not have to count mail-in ballots that have either the wrong date or no date where indicated on the outer envelope. The ruling was 4 to 3, with those 3 justices writing a dissent in the case.

The order from the court found that the lower court, which had ruled that those ballots must be counted even with the errors, lacked jurisdiction in the case because only Allegheny and Philadelphia Counties were mentioned in the case and not all of the state’s 67 counties.

The order reads: “AND NOW, this 13th day of September, 2024, the order of the Commonwealth Court is VACATED. The Commonwealth Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to review the matter given the failure to name the county boards of elections of all 67 counties, and because the joinder of Al Schmidt, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Commonwealth, did not suffice to invoke the Commonwealth Court’s original jurisdiction.”

In practice, this means that in the coming presidential election, officials will not count any ballots that are either misdated or undated ballots. The jurisdiction issue could be addressed by the plaintiffs in the case before the election. The plaintiffs are listed as Black Political Empowerment Project, Power Interfaith, Make the Road Pennsylvania, OnePA Activists, New PA Project Education Fund, Casa San Jose, Pittsburgh United, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause Pennsylvania.

A spokesman from the Pennsylvania Department of State said that it was “disappointing” and that it “leaves unanswered the important question of whether the dating requirement violates the Pennsylvania Constitution, as the Commonwealth Court found,” reported The New York Times.

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Residents of Pennsylvania Town Outraged That Civil War-Era Orphanage Might be Used to House Migrants

A Civil War era orphanage in the Gettysburg area of Pennsylvania is being considered for use as housing for migrants and many residents are not happy about it.

This is so disrespectful to the people who live in this area and to our history as a country. We don’t have to do this and more people have to start reminding our leaders of that fact.

If it has gotten to the point where historic buildings are being considered for illegal border crossers, we have run out of room.

FOX News reports:

‘It’ll upend the community’: PA town roiled by talk of migrant housing in Civil War-era orphanage building

A Pennsylvania community is up in arms over reports that as many as 1,000 migrants were to be and reportedly still could be housed in a Civil War-era orphanage most recently used as a summer camp facility.

The building, located in Scotland outside Gettysburg, is owned by a Lakewood, New Jersey-based LLC, but officials in Greene Township cited a letter from a representative for an Indiana-based disaster response organization, USA Up Star, seeking to use it to “provide shelter for refuge[e] families.”

In an August letter to the USA Up Star staffer, Greene Township zoning officer Daniel Bachman wrote that its most recent use as a summer camp falls within its R-1 – or low-density residential – code and that higher-density shelter would not be permitted…

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, the 2022 GOP nominee for governor who represents the area, said in a Friday interview he is extremely concerned about the goings-on with the partially decrepit Scotland property.

When do people finally say that enough is enough?

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The ‘Boeing 757’ That Magically Vaporized in Shanksville on 9/11

The mystery of Boeing 757 Flight 93 at Shanksville on 9/11 reminds me of my socks: They just keep disappearing. There must be a wormhole near my laundry basket that sucks socks into The Great Void. I’ve never been able to solve it.

But not everything disappeared at Shanksville. What was found? Clean and unscathed red bandanna believed to belong to “hijacker.”

And, of course, “hijacker” “Saeed Al Ghamdi’s” Saudi Arabia passport was located.

But as for the “Boeing 757 aircraft” in Shanksville; no signs of it. Of course, for somebody like “Bin Laden,” who could totally obliterate three sturdy tower blocks with two planes, and then manage to wipe out the accounts department in the world’s best-protected military headquarters with another, making a fourth huge aircraft completely vanish into a small hole in the ground should barely have presented a challenge. /sarc

What’s amazing about Shanksville is that USGS aerial images show a hole and trench there before the crash. Here is one taken in 1994. Whodathunk?

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OUTRAGEOUS! Pennsylvania Court Forces Counties to Validate Ballots Despite Missing or Incorrect Dates on Their Outer Return Envelopes

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has issued a 4-1 ruling that blocks the enforcement of a crucial law requiring election officials to reject mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect handwritten dates on their outer return envelopes.

The case, brought forward by a coalition of organizations including the Black Political Empowerment Project, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Common Cause Pennsylvania, challenged the legality of rejecting mail-in ballots solely based on the absence or inaccuracy of the handwritten date on the return envelope.

Judge Ellen Ceisler, writing for the court, said that the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional guarantee, and any restrictions placed upon this right must withstand strict scrutiny.

“The date on the outer mail-in ballot envelopes is not used to determine the timeliness of a ballot, a voter’s qualifications/eligibility to vote, or fraud. Therefore, the dating provisions serve no compelling government interest,” the court stated in its opinion.

“The refusal to count undated or incorrectly dated but timely mail ballots submitted by otherwise eligible voters because of meaningless and inconsequential paperwork errors violates the fundamental right to vote recognized in the free and equal elections clause.”

The ruling effectively nullifies the practice of disqualifying ballots due to these dating errors.

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Pennsylvania Judge Rules Cornel West Can’t Appear on Ballot in Pennsylvania

A court in Pennsylvania on Aug. 23 ruled that independent presidential candidate Cornel West cannot appear on the presidential ballot in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state that determines the 2024 election.

In a 15-page ruling, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer sided with the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting West’s candidacy paperwork.

The Secretary of State’s office said West and his running mate, activist Melina Abdullah, lacked the required affidavits for 14 of West’s 19 presidential electors. The court agreed with the office’s arguments.

Jubelirer, a Republican, agreed with the Secretary of State’s office that minor-party presidential electors are to be considered candidates for office who must file affidavits, even if major-party presidential electors are not.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State office, the court ruled, “is required to certify the ballot in time for county boards to print and mail those ballots to military electors who are serving overseas or in isolated areas ‘not later than [70] days prior’ to a general election.’”

If the court sided with West, it would make “it nearly impossible for [the Secretary of State’s office] and county boards to, respectively, timely certify, print, and mail the absentee ballots as contemplated by the Election Code, and removing almost two weeks from that timeframe almost guarantees the inability to act within those timeframes,” the judge wrote.

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RFK Jr. Blocked from Testifying at Court Hearing on Pennsylvania Ballot Eligibility

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was effectively silenced by Democrat operatives during a crucial court hearing in Pennsylvania—a state that’s a must-win for anyone eyeing the presidency.

The Democrats’ latest stunt? Preventing Kennedy from testifying on his own behalf as they attempt to bar him from the ballot, claiming that his candidacy paperwork includes a bogus home address.

The allegation, which reeks of desperation, is part of a broader smear campaign aimed at keeping RFK Jr. out of the running.

Kennedy’s lawyer expressed outrage over the judge’s decision to proceed without allowing Kennedy to testify after his flight was canceled.

“This is the first that I’m hearing about this,” Commonwealth Court Judge Lori Dumas said, showing little concern for the unforeseen travel issues that led to Kennedy’s late arrival.

The hearing was scheduled to be in Philadelphia, but the last-minute change to Harrisburg severely limited Kennedy’s travel options—a fact the judge seemed all too eager to ignore.

“He was late through no fault of his own,” said RFK Jr.’s attorney, Paul Rossi. “We don’t control the airlines, and when the airline cancels the flight into Harrisburg, as you know, flights into Harrisburg are far and few between, unlike Philadelphia, where this, where this hearing was originally to be scheduled.”

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Pennsylvania announces election results won’t be available on election night

The Pennsylvania Department of State has announced that the results of the state’s upcoming election will not be known on election night.

In a social media post, the department ,“Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as countries continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is ‘rigged.’” The post also included a link to a website dedicated to fact-checking claims about Pennsylvania’s election process.

The announcement echoes the situation from the 2020 election when initial results appeared to favor President Donald Trump as polls closed. However, as mail-in ballots were counted in the following days, Joe Biden was declared the winner in Pennsylvania. The prolonged counting process has frustrated some critics who argue that state election results should be finalized and made public on or immediately following November 5.

Despite calls for reform, Pennsylvania lawmakers did not pass legislation that would allow pre-canvassing of ballots, which could speed up the counting process. The legislative session ended without any changes to the law despite the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passing an initiative in May, according to The Washington Post.

As one of the key battleground states in the upcoming election, Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes could be crucial in determining the next president. If the race comes down to Pennsylvania, it may take several days before the American public knows the final outcome of the election.

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Jack Posobiec Unearths Alleged Coverup by One of Harris’s VP Pick Frontrunners

Jack Posobiec has unearthed an old controversy involving then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, one of Kamala Harris’s likely VP picks.

Posobiec shared with his followers on X that a woman was “stabbed 20 times” back in 2011, “including twice while dead.” 

“[The] coroner ruled it a homicide, then changed it to suicide,” Posobiec added. 

“This week, the PA Supreme Court announced it will investigate why Attorney General Josh Shapiro upheld the lie,” Posobiec continued, noting more information was “to come.”

His post has sparked outrage against Shapiro, with countless X users digging into the case more.

Fox News reported back in 2022 on the mysterious death of Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old Philadelphia teacher, after new evidence casted doubt on the official suicide ruling. 

The case, which has perplexed investigators for over a decade, is now under renewed scrutiny as experts and the PA Supreme Court challenges the initial findings.

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Trump ‘Is Safe’ After Apparent Gunshot Injury at Rally: Secret Service

Secret Service agents rushed former President Donald Trump off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 after what sounded like a series of gun shots.

Former President Trump was minutes into his speech in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of people when what sounded like several gunshots interrupted the event. The former president grabbed his right ear before Secret Service agents quickly brought him down to the floor near the podium.

Several more shots rang out while the president was down. Moments later, back on his feet and surrounded by Secret Service agents, blood running down his face, the president said, “Wait, wait, wait,” and pumped his fist three times to the crowd.

Former President Trump then walked down from the stage surrounded by agents.

“The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

At the White House, President Joe Biden said he had not yet been briefed about the possible attack.

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Bizarre: Reporters Kicked Out of Biden Coffee Shop Campaign Stop, Forced to Film Biden Through Shop Window

Reporters were kicked out of a Biden campaign stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday where they were forced to film Biden through the storefront window of a coffees shop while Biden spoke–not with voters–but with fellow elected Democrat officials Governor Josh Shapiro and Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams. Unlike President Trump when he makes similar appearances, Biden was not mobbed by supporters at Denim Coffee (which may explain why the press was kicked out.)

After reporters witnessed Biden, accompanied by Nurse Jill, and Shapiro ordering at the counter inside and making small talk with the help, a staffer got up in the grill of a C-SPAN reporter filming the event as she ordered the press outside.

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