Pennsylvania Early Voting Issues Spark MAGA Fury: ‘Election Interference’

Supporters of former President Donald Trump are alleging “election interference” after a time-consuming early voting option led to long lines and frustrated voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Voters in Doylestown, the seat of suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County, waited up to three hours on Tuesday, the last day to apply for a mail ballot in person, according to CBS News and the Associated Press.

Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is arguably the most sought-after of the seven battlegrounds in what polls show is a close race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris that could be decided by small margins in the swing states.

Bucks County officials said the long waits were due to workers being strained by the process of “on-demand mail ballot voting” amid a surge in voters. Early voting turnout among Republicans has increased this year after Trump urged his supporters to cast their ballots early after repeatedly railing against forms of early voting during the 2020 election.

In 2019, the Pennsylvania Legislature, then controlled by Republicans, passed a law creating a system for early voting different from most states. It allows registered voters to go to their county elections office, request a mail ballot, and fill out an application. Once that is reviewed, the ballot is printed. They can then fill it out and turn it in during that visit or return it by mail or place it in a drop box.

Lines have been long because that process can take about 10 to 12 minutes per voter, Bucks County Board of Elections Chairman Bob Harvie told CBS News.

“It is a very cumbersome process. We don’t have limitless resources here. We have a fixed number of staff. We have a fixed budget,” Harvie said.

Newsweek has contacted Harvie for comment by email outside of business hours.

On social media, some shared videos showing lines at election offices being cut off early, with some alleging that it was aimed at disenfranchising voters.

“There’s been lines like this for days across counties in PA,” James Blair, the Trump campaign’s political director, wrote alongside a video on X, formerly Twitter. “Only for elections officials to come out and push people out of line and tell them to come back. Voter suppression!”

Blair shared another video showing officers cutting off the line in Doylestown at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. “This is suppressive and intimidating,” he wrote.

Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s press secretary, wrote on X: “You have the right to stay in line when casting your vote! Do not let election officials turn you away during the operating hours they posted.”

The Trump campaign has been contacted for comment via email.

Collin Rugg, the co-owner of the conservative outlet Trending Politics, shared a video posted by a voter where an officer is seen explaining that the line in Quakertown was cut off early because the process is “slow and grueling.”

In the video, the officer said: “The reason why it had to close is because a high volume of people want to do this, it’s slow and grueling… they had to cut the line at 1:45.”

Some Trump supporters claimed that lines were being cut off early because “too many” Republicans were voting.

One Trump supporter with more than 100,000 followers wrote on X: “Pennsylvania is engaging in SERIOUS ELECTION INTERFERENCE all over the state, and the Governor is SILENT!… The reason they are cutting off the lines early? TOO MANY REPUBLICANS ARE VOTING.”

Newsweek cannot verify these videos. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s office has been contacted for comment via email.

The Bucks County government responded to the criticism on Tuesday, saying that every voter in line by 5 p.m. would be allowed to apply for a mail ballot.

“Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot,” the government wrote on X.

“We are aware that, due to a miscommunication, individuals in line to apply for an on-demand mail-in ballot were briefly told they could not be accommodated. In fact, these voters were given the opportunity to submit mail-in ballot applications today.”

The Pennsylvania Department of State issued a statement affirming that voters who arrived by 5 p.m. would have the chance to apply for a mail ballot. “Please be patient with all county election office staff as they work hard to ensure every registered voter is able to vote in this election,” the department said on X.

It came after the Republican National Committee sent a letter to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt on Monday, urging him to respond to widespread election issues across the state. Schmidt’s office has been contacted for comment via email.

The letter said that voters have reported being told that computers are not working, polling sites are closing early and not accepting more voters and that mail ballots will not be counted.

“No voter should be turned away, told an office is closing early, or told they cannot be accommodated if they appear during the posted business hours,” the letter said.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Schmidt said the department “has received many questions about voters encountering delays at county election offices as they attempt to vote in person by mail ballot.

“Last week, the Department of State asked counties to plan to ensure every registered voter who was in line by 5 p.m. today is provided with the opportunity to apply for and submit a mail ballot application.”

He added: “We’ll continue to work with our counties to ensure that every voter who wants to vote by mail ballot can do so. I urge you, please, please be patient with county election officials.”