Six Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against the state’s secretary of state, accusing them of not adequately vetting the identities of overseas and military voters. The congressmen, including Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, Glenn “GT” Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, Mike Kelly, and Scott Perry, are working with the group PA Fair Elections in this effort. They argue that exempting certain citizens abroad from voter identification requirements opens the door to election fraud. They are seeking to have Pennsylvania segregate ballots cast by these voters and conduct additional eligibility checks before counting them.
The state department has criticized the lawsuit as an attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly those in military service who are defending the country’s freedoms. The legal challenge specifically pertains to Pennsylvanians covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, who are exempt from the usual voter identification requirements. The GOP congressmen contend that this policy violates federal law and makes Pennsylvania’s elections vulnerable to ineligible votes, including potential interference by foreign nations.
The lawsuit is part of ongoing efforts by PA Fair Elections and its leader, Heather Honey, who has also been supported by former President Donald Trump in contesting Pennsylvania’s 2020 election outcome. The state department has emphasized that ballots cast by ineligible voters are rare and are subject to investigation and prosecution. Pennsylvania election officials have already mailed out thousands of ballots to overseas and military voters, with the outcome of this legal challenge still pending.
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