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Elections

Oct. 30, 2020

Protesters and militia gathered outside the Capitol in Harrisburg this April for a reopen protest. A recent report by a worldwide nonprofit that tracks militia groups said Pennsylvania is one of five U.S. states at high risk of violence through Nov. 3. — DAVID MAIALETTI / Philadelphia Inquirer

State, counties prepare to keep Pa. polling places safe amid fears of militia, hate groups

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA, Emily Previti of WITF, and Ramesh Santanam of Postindustrial

Oct. 30, 2020

County election officials across the state say drastic changes to Pennsylvania’s voting laws, a global pandemic, and misinformation surrounding a high-stakes presidential election are all contributing to the high stress they’re feeling as they work overtime leading up to Nov. 3. — Margo Reed / Philadelphia Inquirer

Harassment, anger, and misinformation plague Pa. county officials as they struggle to keep 2020 election on track

by Marie Albiges and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 29, 2020

The ballot postmark could become 2020′s hanging chad. — CHARLES FOX / Philadelphia Inquirer

Will Pa. be at the center of another Bush v. Gore? These 8 lawyers and scholars weigh in.

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 28, 2020

A USPS spokesperson, meanwhile, said the agency is “unaware of any significant delays or issues.” — TIM TAI / Philadelphia Inquirer

Potentially thousands of requested mail ballots lost in Pa. county, official says

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Oct. 28, 2020

The case is one of several voting-related battles that have landed before the nation’s highest court. — JOSE F. MORENO / Philadelphia Inquirer

U.S. Supreme Court refuses to expedite Pa. mail ballot case, but could still intervene

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 28, 2020

A ballot is deposited into a box at the county clerk's office in Erie. A newly approved resolution is meant to bar groups of people openly carrying firearms from gathering near polling places and drop boxes. — Bonnie Jo Mount / Washington Post

Erie County restricts activities of openly armed residents near the polls if they aren’t voting

by Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA

Oct. 27, 2020

For the next week, we’ll answer your most pressing election and voting questions. — TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer

Election 2020 in Pennsylvania: All of your voting questions, answered

by Spotlight PA Staff

Oct. 27, 2020

This year alone, records show Gov. Tom Wolf’s campaign committee spent $300,000 of its war chest on Democrat George Scott, who is trying to wrest control of a Senate seat from Republican John DiSanto. — Joe Hermitt / PennLive

Millions pour into Pa. House, Senate races as Democrats vie for control

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Oct. 27, 2020

Ten states allow a family member to return a ballot for a voter, and 26 states allow a voter to designate someone to return their ballot. — TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer

What is ‘ballot harvesting,’ and who can and can’t deliver your mail ballot in Pa.

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 26, 2020

Jonathan Kassa, the Democratic nominee for a state House seat in Montgomery County, talks to a voter in North Wales, Pa., on Oct. 7. The district held by incumbent Republican Rep. Todd Stephens is one Democrats hope will help them flip control of the chamber. — MONICA HERNDON / Philadelphia Inquirer

Democrats have control of the Pa. state House within their reach

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA and Andrew Seidman of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Oct. 23, 2020

This year, election officials expect up to 3 million people to vote by mail. Already, more than 1 million Democrats have returned a mail-in or absentee ballot, as have nearly 300,000 Republicans. — Margo Reed / Philadelphia Inquirer

Counties cannot reject mail ballots because of mismatched signatures, Pa. Supreme Court rules

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 22, 2020

The latest challenge came as the state’s top elections official, Kathy Boockvar, urged voters not to count on the extension, and instead mail in their ballots right away to get their votes counted. — Margo Reed / Philadelphia Inquirer

How Amy Coney Barrett could be key to new lawsuit to block Pa.’s mail-in ballot extension

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 22, 2020

A worker organizes mail ballots in Chester County. Pennsylvania counties have been flooded with mail ballot requests, and the days-long process of counting them can’t begin until Election Day under current state law. — Margo Reed / Philadelphia Inquirer

Talks collapse on a deal to let Pa. counties open mail ballots before Election Day

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Oct. 21, 2020

ExpressVote XL devices will be used in Cumberland County, Northampton County, and Philadelphia this year. — HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia Inquirer

A year ago, voting machines malfunctioned in a pivotal Pa. county. Have the problems been fixed?

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 19, 2020

More than 690,000 Republicans have requested a mail-in or absentee ballot for the November election. — ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia Inquirer

U.S. Supreme Court allows 3-day extension to count Pennsylvania mail-in ballots

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 19, 2020

Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar called pre-canvassing "an obvious solution" to guarantee timely election results. — TIM TAI / Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Pa. election official says ‘overwhelming majority’ of votes will be counted by Friday after Election Day

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Oct. 19, 2020

Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar joined Spotlight PA for a live interview on the 2020 election in Pennsylvania. — TIM TAI / Philadelphia Inquirer

VIDEO: A live Spotlight PA interview with Secretary Kathy Boockvar on the 2020 election in Pa.

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 16, 2020

As of mid-week, 2.6 million people had requested and been approved for a mail-in or absentee ballot, and 518,000 had been returned. — YONG KIM / Philadelphia Inquirer

Pa. could become ‘ground zero’ for court battles on — and after — Election Day

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 15, 2020

Poll watchers are different from poll workers who run in-person voting. — JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia Inquirer

Everything Pa. poll watchers can — and can’t — do on Election Day, explained

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and Emily Previti of WITF

Oct. 9, 2020

The resolution would have created a committee of five House lawmakers — three Republicans and two Democrats — to investigate and review the Nov. 3 election. — HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia Inquirer

Pa. Republicans drop effort to create ‘election integrity’ panel with subpoena power

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Oct. 8, 2020

County commissioners for months have pleaded for more flexibility to begin processing mail-in and absentee ballots before Election Day, a practice known as “pre-canvassing.” — TIM TAI / Philadelphia Inquirer

Lawmakers mount new push to give Pa. counties more flexibility in counting mail-in ballots

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Sept. 30, 2020

The resolution would create a committee of five House lawmakers — three Republicans and two Democrats — to investigate and review the Nov. 3 election. — HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia Inquirer

Pa. Republicans want to create and control an ‘election integrity’ panel with subpoena power

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Sept. 25, 2020

The Pennsylvania legislature could decide to offer its own slate of electors by invoking Article II of the U.S. Constitution. — KALIM BHATTI / The Philadelphia Inquirer

Could the Pa. GOP bypass the popular vote regardless of who wins? Here’s what we know.

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Sept. 18, 2020

Counties are anxiously waiting to see if lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf will extend the amount of time elections boards have to begin “pre-canvassing” mailed ballots. — TYGER WILLIAMS / Philadelphia Inquirer

Voting victories for Democrats in Pa. might have closed the door on more election reform

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Sept. 1, 2020

Drop boxes were used in Philadelphia during the June primary and have been embraced by other counties as a way to ease the anticipated Election Day burden. — YONG KIM / Philadelphia Inquirer

Pa. GOP advances election bill that would ban drop boxes, get mail-in ballots to voters earlier

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Aug. 27, 2020

“I think what we need to do is make people feel comfortable and safe in terms of their voting,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. — Commonwealth Media Services

Surge in mail-in ballots could delay election results, so Wolf wants to change the rules

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Spotlight PA

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