Trump campaign says it is suing Bucks County over mail-in voting lines

Speaking at a rally in Allentown Tuesday night, Michael Whatley, head of the Republican National Committee, said Bucks County is being sued by former President Donald Trump’s campaign for allegedly “denying our voters.”

“Democratic election officials see our numbers. They see our turnout. They see us breaking early voting records across Pennsylvania. They are scared and want to stop our movement,” Whatley said before Trump took the stage at the PPL Center. “Tonight, I am proud to inform you that the Trump Vance campaign has just filed a huge lawsuit against Bucks County for denying our voters the benefit of the doubt.”

By the time the announcement was made, Bucks County courts were closed Tuesday night and there was no access to confirm that any paperwork had been filed. Nothing in the online listing reflected a filing by the Trump campaign, which did not immediately provide court documents.

The rise of mail-in ballots, which allow voters to apply for, complete and return a mail-in ballot in one stop at a county office, has led to reports of hours-long lines at the county administration building in Doylestown and satellite offices in Levittown and Quakertown last year. week and continue this week.

In some places, people reported being turned away well before 5 p.m. due to long lines. On X, the District said anyone in line by 5 p.m. can apply for a mail-in ballot, but the ballot will be mailed to them or can be picked up later in the week.

“We know that due to a miscommunication, people queuing to apply for a postal vote were briefly told they could not be accommodated. In fact, today these voters were given the opportunity to apply to vote by mail,” the county said.

The post added that those ballots will either be mailed to voters or they can pick them up later this week.

Tuesday was the deadline to apply to vote by mail for the 2024 election, making it the last day voters could use the vote-by-mail option allowed in Pennsylvania. All ballots must be returned by 8:00 pm on Election Day.

County officials previously said confusion about whether mail-in ballots are the same as “early voting” in other states contributed to long waits for voters. Pennsylvania does not have early voting, where voters can cast their ballots as they would on Election Day.

County Commissioner and Board of Elections Chairman Bob Harvey said the entire process for a single voter, which includes approving a mail-in ballot application and printing voting materials, takes an average of 12 minutes and can only be completed by specially trained staff.

CBS News reported Tuesday that the lines were cut around 2:45 p.m., although voters were still allowed to fill out the form until 5 p.m.

“Our employees need to be able to process all of these applications and do it on top of the rest of their work, especially today since the deadline has arrived. We have to load everything by midnight,” Harvey told CBS.

Harvey would not comment on any lawsuit Tuesday evening.

County spokesman James O’Malley issued a statement Tuesday evening saying “the county has been advised that a lawsuit may be filed tomorrow. We have no comment at this time.”

Trump campaigned in Allentown on Tuesday amid renewed backlash from a comedian at a Madison Square Garden rally over the weekend who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” The Lehigh Valley has a large Puerto Rican population.

Pennsylvania is the most contentious and influential swing state and home to the fourth-largest Puerto Rican population in the country, USA Today reported Tuesday night. With 19 Electoral College votes, the state is home to nearly 500,000 Puerto Ricans, according to census data. President Joe Biden won the state by just 80,555 votes in 2020.

Trump did not discuss allegations of racism stemming from Sunday’s rally during his 80-minute speech in Allentown, USA Today reported.

Trump began his Allentown rally by asking voters his standard opening question: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”

The audience responded: “No.” He quickly joked that Americans would “fire” Kamala Harris on Election Day, a reference to his catchphrase from the reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

At the event, he also reflected on his 2024 campaign, telling the crowd he was in the final week of political rallies that have defined his political career since he announced his first presidential campaign in June 2015.

USA Today contributed to this report.

Trump campaign says it is suing Bucks County over mail-in voting lines

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