HARRISBURG – Senator Scott Martin (R-13) issued the following statement today regarding issues and concerns that have been raised regarding the 2020 election:
“My concerns about this election are one reason why I joined Senate leaders in calling for the resignation of Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar. She took an oath to uphold the law, and she violated that oath. Her blatantly partisan actions have undermined the integrity of our election, and every day that she maintains her position is another day that we cannot have faith in the agency responsible for protecting the sanctity of our democratic process. It is regrettable that when certainty and clarity is needed, the Secretary of State’s inconsistent and ever-changing guidance to counties regarding the canvassing of ballots has sowed uncertainty and confusion.
“However, I also understand that simply calling for the resignation of Secretary Boockvar is not enough. We need to take concrete steps to safeguard the integrity of our elections to prevent the kind of abuses that have been reported to us in recent days. That is why Republican officials, campaigns and legal teams are currently working together to monitor the vote counting process and ensure no illegal votes are counted. Pennsylvania Republicans filed for the United States Supreme Court to intervene, which we are hopeful that they will do soon and why it’s important to fight to ensure that ballots received after the legal deadline set in law are segregated and no illegal votes cast. Also, Lancaster County completed counting mail in ballots and set aside ballots that were received after Election Day to await a response from the United States Supreme Court. In counting every legally cast vote, we must not sacrifice the security and integrity of the process in order for a quick, rushed count of the ballots.
“Senate and House leaders were working in good faith with the Wolf Administration in September on several critical election security measures that would have prevented many of the issues we are seeing today, but these negotiations were halted after the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots could be counted even if they were received after Election Day. After that ruling, Governor Wolf made it clear he would veto any bill to provide enhanced election security.
“Without the support of the governor, it is almost entirely up to state and federal courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – to ensure the integrity of our electoral process for the 2020 election. As I stated previously, numerous legal teams have been assembled to ensure the voices of voters are not drowned out by fraud and abuse. I am hopeful that these actions will hold any bad actors accountable and help address the numerous areas of concern that I am hearing from throughout the state. I will do my best to keep community residents up to date on the progress of these legal proceedings in the days and weeks ahead. Counties still need to certify the results, and candidates will have an opportunity to challenge those results and file for recounts of results that are questionable. This could include recounts in areas like Philadelphia where the most issues have been reported.”
CONTACT: Terry Trego (717) 787-6535