Pa. House Republicans Call For Legislative-Led Audit of 2020 Election
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Harrisburg, Pa. (WENY)-- Days after two top Republican state lawmakers in Harrisburg called for an audit of the state’s general election process, more Republicans are echoing that call. More than a dozen GOP state lawmakers called for a legislative-led audit of the election Tuesday morning. The group, led by Rep. Dawn Keefer (R-York, Cumberland), says it’s their legislative duty to launch an audit of the electoral process and review issues they say have been brought to their attention.
“We call for the immediate establishment of a bipartisan investigatory committee with subpoena powers to pursue this objective,” Rep. Keefer says.
Rep Keefer says her office and offices of other lawmakers have been overwhelmed with calls from constituents who are “confused and outraged by the circumstances surrounding the election.” However, no evidence of widespread fraud has been brought forward yet. When asked if she had any indication that fraud was committed, Rep. Keefer said it’s unclear.
“We’ve just gotten a lot of allegations so I don’t know. They’re too in the weeds to really make a comment on that. That’s why we’re calling for an audit. Let’s vet those out and see what the outcome is,” says Rep. Keefer.
The legislative-led audit would include investigation hearings conducted by a committee that would also have subpoena power. They say once the audit is completed, certain actions could be taken.
“Let’s take a look at the system, let’s take a look at how it was conducted, let’s see if there were any compromises. I don’t want to speculate on what those findings might be. Once we see the findings then we can determine what the course of action should be,” explains Rep. Keefer.
Post-election audits have been standard procedure in Pennsylvania under Governor Tom Wolf. One was conducted following the June Primary. These audits are conducted following the certification of election results. These GOP lawmakers say the audit needs to be completed before election results are certified.
“Public sediment and the sheer number of lawsuits filed both before and since the election warrant such investigatory action. This matter is our top priority,” Rep. Keefer says.
The legislative session ends in 20 days, meaning the entire process would need to be started and finished before November 30th. House leaders are examining legislative options to kick-start the audit.
This is the second time in several days Republican lawmakers have called for an audit of the 2020 election. On Friday, House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) sent a letter to Governor Wolf calling in him to delay the certification of election results until a full audit can be completed.
“To ensure that the election process can be verified as accurate and without consideration of who wins the Presidential race the whole way down to the state House races at our level, I’m calling on Governor Wolf to produce a full audit of the 2020 election process. This is not unusual. It’s the very same thing we did in terms of the primary election. We’ve been actively managing the changes in our voting laws by collecting data and making decisions,” Speaker Cutler said last Friday.
Meanwhile, the continued calls for an expedited election audit have drawn the ire of those across the aisle. House Democratic Caucus Spokesman Bill Patton released a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“The rules of this election were set by legislation passed a year ago with overwhelming Republican support (Act 77). Multiple court rulings confirmed the procedures to be used in the election and all Pennsylvania counties have been following the rules. Donald Trump lost the election fair and square. A small group of Republican legislators is trying to disrupt the election even while the state’s military absentee ballots are still being received and counted up until 5 pm today. That’s outrageous. This is a pathetic, partisan, and desperate attempt to cloud people’s vision with more baseless claims for which there is no evidence whatsoever. There is no shame in losing an election, but there ought to be great shame in trying to subvert the democratic processes on which this nation was founded.”
Governor Wolf’s Press Secretary, Lyndsay Kensinger, continued to defend the integrity of the state’s election process. She also released a statement on Tuesday.
"Pennsylvania had a free, fair, and secure election. Millions of Pennsylvanians followed the rules allowed by the SCOTUS and each voter, regardless of political party, must have their voice heard. Allegations of fraud and illegal activity have been repeatedly debunked and dismissed by the courts. Those attacks against the core values of Americans are intended to undermine our democracy, and we must reject them.
Election officials at the state and local level, Republican and Democrat, worked tirelessly amid a pandemic so voters could decide this election. In Philadelphia, Allegheny County, and elsewhere, officials are administering the election with the highest degree of transparency. In Philadelphia and several other counties, there has been a livestream of the ballot-counting process available for anyone to watch. In all counties, all parties have canvass observers throughout the process. Any insinuation otherwise is a lie.
Pennsylvania is going to fight every single attempt to disenfranchise voters. We will protect this election and the democratic process. Pennsylvania will count every vote, and we will protect the count of every vote.”
House Republicans have already made plans to move forward with an investigation into the 2020 general election with or without an official audit. The House State Government Committee, now lead by Interim Majority Chair Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), will begin holding hearings on the state’s election process undertaken in the 2020 general election.