Election category, Page 97
GOP senator’s plan to issue Pennsylvania election subpoenas ‘stopped’
HARRISBURG — A backer of former President Donald Trump’s effort to carry out an Arizona-style “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election suggested Thursday that fellow Republicans in the state Senate are blocking his efforts. In a video posted Thursday on Facebook, state Sen. Doug Mastriano did not name names,...
Georgia board to review Fulton elections, takeover possible
ATLANTA — Georgia’s State Election Board on Wednesday took a step toward a possible eventual takeover of elections in the state’s most populous county under a process outlined in the state’s sweeping new voting law that critics argue could open elections up to political interference. The board voted unanimously Wednesday...
Westmoreland hires private company to train new staff in depleted elections office
Westmoreland County will pay a private company $112,000 over the next 18 months to help oversee the next three elections as officials continue efforts to hire a new director and two middle managers in the aftermath of the problem-plagued May primary. Officials said personnel turnover, which included the June firing...
Democrats renew push on elections bill that Republicans vows to block
WASHINGTON — Democrats are renewing their push to enact their marquee voting bill, pledging to make it the first order of business when the Senate returns in the fall even though they don’t have a clear strategy for overcoming steadfast Republican opposition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced early Wednesday...
Republican issues subpoenas for Wisconsin election info
MADISON, Wis.— The leader of the state Assembly’s elections committee issued subpoenas Friday demanding extensive election materials, including all ballots and voting machines, from two Wisconsin counties in what she called a “top-to-bottom” investigation of the state’s 2020 presidential results. Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen said she has sent subpoenas to...
Rep. Conor Lamb jumps in race for Pat Toomey’s Senate seat
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb announced Friday he is joining the crowded race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2022 election. He made it official during an afternoon event before a crowd of about 200 people at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 5 in...
Pennsylvania decertifies Fulton County’s voting system after ‘audit’
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top election official has decertified the voting machines of a small southern county that disclosed that it had agreed to requests by local Republican lawmakers and allowed a software firm to inspect the machines as part of an “audit” after the 2020 election. The action by Acting...
Pennsylvania election audit gets GOP campaign trail embrace
HARRISBURG — Former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election have been debunked by the courts, his own Justice Department and scores of recounts. But in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Trump lost by 80,000 votes eight months ago, they’re finding new signs of life. A Republican...
Westmoreland commissioners said mistakes led to election bureau director firing
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday said the recent firing of the county’s election bureau director was necessary in response to a series of errors that plagued the May primary. Speaking publicly for the first time about the decision to oust JoAnn Sebastiani, commissioners said the county conducted “administrative inquires” that initially...
Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race: What we know so far
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. One of Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senate seats is up for grabs in 2022 as two-term Republican incumbent Pat Toomey prepares to...
Ohio IDs 117 noncitizens who voted or registered in 2020
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s elections chief on Monday referred for possible prosecution 117 apparent noncitizens who either registered to vote or cast a ballot last year — a tiny fraction of the state’s electorate and a significantly reduced number from two years ago despite record 2020 turnout. Republican Secretary of...
Who’s in the running to be Pennsylvania’s senator in 2023?
With Democrats narrowly in control of Congress, political observers are watching as races emerge in the 2022 midterm elections. Historically, the party out of power makes inroads in these races, leaving Republicans hopeful they’ll be able to limit President Joe Biden’s agenda in the years ahead. A key race will...
Gov. Tom Wolf calls election audit plan a ‘disgrace to democracy’
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday said it is a “disgrace to democracy” that a Republican state lawmaker is trying to launch what he calls a “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election, similar to what is happening in Arizona. Wolf, a Democrat, said on Twitter that the “sham...
Westmoreland elections director fired days before her ouster was made public
Westmoreland County’s former election bureau director was out of a job a week before her bosses officially signed off on her removal, according to a document obtained by the Tribune-Review. JoAnn Sebastiani was fired as elections bureau director effective June 19, according to an “action form” created by the county’s...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
Justice Department suing Georgia over voting laws
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is suing Georgia over the state’s new election law, alleging Republican state lawmakers rushed through a sweeping overhaul with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot. “Where we believe the rights of civil rights of Americans have been violated we will...
Voting ends, wait for results begins in New York City mayoral primaryVideo
NEW YORK — The votes are in. The polls are closed. But the top contenders may have a long, anxious wait ahead of them for accurate results in New York City’s mayoral primary, the first citywide election to use ranked choice voting. Several candidates in the race to succeed Mayor...
Judge rejects Westmoreland primary challenges
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected two lawsuits seeking to invalidate results from the May primary. Judge Harry Smail Jr. said the lawsuits, both filed without the help of lawyers, were improperly submitted because they did not include verified signatures from 20 district voters and failed to include required...
Westmoreland commissioners restructure election bureau; director’s job in limboVideo
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday overhauled the county election bureau to add a layer of management, increased pay for staff and, for the first time, acknowledged a potential change in leadership of the department. The move comes a month after numerous operational and administrative issues plagued the bureau the days before...
Conservative activists request audit of Michigan election
LANSING, Mich. — Conservative activists who falsely claim former President Donald Trump won reelection asked the Republican-led Michigan Senate on Thursday to order an audit of the results, seeking a review like one that is underway in fellow battleground state Arizona. Michigan Conservative Coalition co-founder Marian Sheridan said “something very...
Commissioners remain silent on suspended Westmoreland election bureau director
Westmoreland County’s public works director continued in his interim role as head of the election bureau on Tuesday as the commissioners remained silent about the status of the department’s suspended top official. The county commissioners also serve as the county’s election board. They met as such late Tuesday to approve...
Westmoreland commissioner expresses confidence in election office as director’s suspension continues
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Thursday the staff issues that have plagued the county election bureau this week has not impacted the department’s ability to operate. The commissioners following their June public meeting did not acknowledge the paid suspension of Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani but indicated they are working...
Computer glitch excludes Westmoreland write-in winners; other results certified
Results from 14 Westmoreland County primaries were amended Monday to include additional winners after a weekend review of write-in votes identified discrepancies in how final totals were reported. “Out of an abundance of caution, we wanted to review them,” said Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani. Election officials said no additional...
Work underway to revive League of Women Voters in Westmoreland County
The hotly contested 2020 elections opened more than a few eyes to the importance of the ballot box. Rebecca Wyss, a recently retired metallurgical engineer, said, for her, it underscored the need for a nonpartisan conversation about the process. As she cast about for kindred souls, Wyss learned the League...
Advocates push for citizen input and transparency in new congressional and legislative maps
Jim Brewster, the McKeesport Democrat, has vivid memories of going to bed in December 2011 in his Allegheny County home and waking up to find his 45th Senate District had been moved across Pennsylvania to the Poconos. Strange things can happen when politics collides with the need to resketch district...
