Lawsuit: Democratic Election Official Illegally Placed Election Ballot Boxes
A new lawsuit alleges an anti-Trump Democratic election official in Pennsylvania illegally created five ballot drop box sites for voters to deposit their mail-in ballots. Two of them are located at skating rinks.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato was just elected in November, and now she faces a whirlwind of controversy. She is accused of skipping past the county board of elections and not permitting the public to have input on the locations.
The move is an extension of a previous county action in 2020 that was axed by Innamorato’s predecessor. The sites apparently would be staffed.
The lawsuit declared the drop boxes violate the state election code and the Sunshine Act. Innamorato’s fellow election board member Sam DeMarco and four voters spearheaded the suit.
The legal action is also supported by Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE). Organization President Derek Lyons accused the official of ignoring “legal obligations to consult with other members of the county board of elections and the public.”
Lyons said that she is required to follow procedure despite her desire “to impose her will on the citizens of Allegheny County.”
DeMarco explained on Thursday that the announcement concerning placing the drop boxes was made three weeks ago. At that time he advised the county executive of protocol that included going through the board of elections.
That action was not taken, the drop boxes were established and now the matter is in the court’s hands.
The suit included an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction against the boxes. State law, according to the plaintiffs, mandates that these locations must be approved by the local elections board.
Innamorato’s office claimed the Pennsylvania Department of State signed off on the sites, but DeMarco is not convinced. “I’d like to see it,” he declared. “Where is it? Where’s the approval?”
The official added that there should be an explanation as to why the ballot drop boxes are suddenly necessary “when we didn’t need them in 2021, 2022, 2023.”
Republicans nationwide are pushing back against Democratic initiatives to establish insecure voting procedures, including these drop boxes. They are primed for election abuse and there are multiple reports of mail-in ballot stuffing at these locations.
