A high-profile Democratic Super PAC, PrioritiesUSA, is financing a new lawsuit in Pennsylvania in hopes of expanding the commonwealth’s mail-in-vote procedures. Pennsylvania’s chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans filed the lawsuit in Commonwealth Court on Wednesday, on account of coronavirus-related risk for voting, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The new Dem lawsuit in PA draws another swing state into the fight over vote-by-mail.
— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) April 22, 2020
It's already the 1st yr PA has no excuse vote by mail:https://t.co/nWf9qX79Ia
Pennsylvania's chapter of Alliance for Retired Americans originally pushed for additional funding for the United States Postal Service, which is set to run out of funds, and turned the push into an effort for mail-in voting:
USPS is in trouble. If we don't take action, it will run out of money in September. Add your name to make sure that seniors can still get delivery of essential goods, 100,000 veterans keep their jobs, and vote by mail is available in November: https://t.co/jpWd25QxCa #SaveUSPS pic.twitter.com/S2NPVPcb7b
— Alliance Retirees (@ActiveRetirees) April 22, 2020
Voting procedures during COVID-19 have shifted to the center of the national conversation, as states delay primaries and debate universal absentee ballots. Democrats argue that a full shift to mail-in voting is the correct way to proceed, while Republicans point out that such a vast shift could lead to fraud, and leaves no avenue for accountability. Democrats’ push for the loosening of absentee ballot requirements is part of the party’s greater effort to expand voting, even if election integrity is at risk.
PrioritiesUSA filed a similar lawsuit related to absentee voting in Michigan:
VOTING RIGHTS NEWS: our team has secured another victory after Michigan adopted signature matching standards to reduce wrongful rejections of absentee ballots following a suit filed by @prioritiesUSA.
— Aneesa McMillan (@AneesaSM) April 21, 2020
Pennsylvania’s primary is slated for June 2.
