The Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s lawsuit against Erie County over alleged delays and mishandling of mail ballots has brought to light the growing challenges and vulnerabilities in America’s “new normal” of mail-in voting and drop box reliance. Filed Wednesday, the lawsuit alleges that errors have left thousands of Erie County voters without ballots as Election Day approaches, with the county returning only 52% of ballots so far—one of the state’s lowest rates.
The lawsuit claims county officials sent incorrect ballots to hundreds of voters, while many others report they haven’t received ballots at all. In response, the Democrats are asking the court to force Erie County to release a list of voters who were without ballots as of Oct. 22 and to allow these voters to obtain ballots in person through Nov. 4, safeguarding their right to vote.
Pennsylvania Democrats File Suit Over Ballot Delays in Erie County https://t.co/jEHbLdTxd4
A lawsuit said that many voters had not received their mail-in ballots, and that return rates in the county lagged far behind the state average.
— Sean Graf (@seangraf) October 31, 2024
These ballot issues in Erie County are not isolated; across the country, similar concerns about mail-in voting security have arisen. In Oregon and Washington, ballot drop boxes were targeted in a series of arson attacks by an unknown assailant who used incendiary devices to set ballot boxes ablaze. In one incident in Vancouver, Washington, nearly 500 ballots were destroyed. The Department of Homeland Security has warned that these types of attacks could escalate, as ballot drop boxes remain an accessible yet vulnerable aspect of the mail-in voting system.
Police are reporting explosive devices being put in Ballot Drop Boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.
Hundreds of voter ballots have been burned as a result of Antifa putting explosives in Drop Boxes and they call us fascists and radicals? pic.twitter.com/UF9OCDirmX
— Rob (@_ROB_29) October 28, 2024
With incidents of ballot mishandling and targeted attacks on drop boxes, Americans are questioning whether the mail-in voting and drop box system can effectively guarantee secure and fair elections. As legal battles and security concerns continue, the stability of this “new normal” in American elections faces significant scrutiny.
