A U.S. judge in Pennsylvania on Tuesday dismissed a Republican-led lawsuit aimed at tightening the vetting process for overseas voters — an effort that has drawn sharp criticism and concerns that it could disenfranchise thousands of Keystone State voters, including U.S. service members and their families.
The lawsuit was filed late last month by six of the eight House Republicans from Pennsylvania's congressional delegation. The organization pointed out that the country's law requires citizens from overseas to register to vote with proper identification.
Voters “can receive a ballot by mail and cast a ballot without providing identification at any step of the process,” the Republican plaintiffs said.
LEGAL CRIMINAL SUFFERING BEFORE PLAYING THE ELECTION NOW WE CAN'T CONFIRM,' SAYS THE EXPERT.
A federal courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)
US District Judge Christopher Conner dismissed the lawsuit Tuesday as a “non-starter,” saying the plaintiffs waited too long to file their lawsuit, which seeks to renew the 12-year-old law on the books.
He also brought up procedural issues in the case, noting that they failed to present evidence or explain “an effective working method.”
“The order at this late stage will upend the Commonwealth's carefully-laid election management procedures to the detriment of countless thousands of voters, to say nothing of the provincial and district administrators who were expected to use these new procedures on top of their current duties,” Conner said.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN IS RUNNING IN THE BIG STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA.
The push comes as Republicans in at least three swing states seek to shut down overseas voting in the final race on Election Day. The RNC and state-level groups in Michigan and North Carolina have also filed lawsuits in recent weeks seeking more restrictions on the vetting and confirmation process they say lacks adequate safeguards.
The lawsuits sparked immediate protests from House Democrats and former members of the military, who said the remedy sought by the plaintiffs was overly restrictive and risked deporting thousands of US service members overseas.
According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), approximately 1.6 million US voters living abroad are eligible to vote in one of the seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin.
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Signed petition boxes for the proposed ballot measure sit in a committee room at the Arkansas Capitol in 2024. (AP)
Provinces, carrying a combined total of 93 Electoral College votesis considered crucial in deciding the next president in the dead heat race between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pennsylvania has 19 on its own, making it very important in the election.
Earlier this month, an attorney testified in court that more than 26,000 foreign ballots had been cast in Pennsylvania. It is not clear how many of those will be affected by the court's decision.
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