The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is now a “very real possibility” to become the next U.S. state to undertake an independent election audit in the aftermath of a contentious 2020 election.
“The Pennsylvania state senator in charge of a key election committee is backing an audit of the November presidential contest similar to Arizona’s partisan ballot review, four days after former President Donald Trump called him out and claimed he was dragging his feet,” TribLive reported.
“Senate State Government Committee Chairman Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill, told the Capital-Star that he was considering subpoenas for ballot information, but had not considered which jurisdictions would be subpoenaed yet,” the Capital Star also reported.
“There are a lot of things under consideration right now, and I told them to check back in a week or two and we hope to have some more detail,” Argall told the Capital-Star.
“Do I have 100% confidence … that everything was perfect? No, I’d really like us to take a detailed review of that,” Argall added. “That’s why we’re looking at changing pieces of the election legislation, and it’s also why I think it wouldn’t hurt at all to go back, do that audit, and say, ‘How exactly did that work out?’”
Argall’s committee has the power to subpoena ballots, TribLive noted.
“The results are the results,” Argall said Friday during Spotlight PA’s Capitol Live event regarding the outcome of the 2020 election. “The Electoral College has spoken, you know the president has been sworn in. I understand that’s a reality.”
As reported by Newsmax, “Thirty percent of GOP voters believe it is ‘likely’ former President Donald Trump will be reinstated as president, according to The Hill-HarrisX poll.”
“While a portion of Republicans support the idea, the majority of voters believe it is unlikely Trump will be reinstated,” the report continued.
“In The Hill-HarrisX poll, 70% of Republicans remained doubtful Trump could make a return to the Oval Office, along with 74% of independents and 87% of Democrats,” Newsmax added.
Arizona’s election audit has provided an impetus to other states to consider independent audits. An election audit looms over Fulton County, Georgia, pending further court deliberation, and former President Trump is pressing for other states to follow suit.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold is attempting to unilaterally ban independent election audits in the state. Griswold also singlehandedly instituted rules so that only government officials and private voting systems providers can handle state ballots, the Epoch Times reported.
“Per the rules, a person can only access a county’s voting system if they are an employee of the county clerk, an employee of the voting system provider, an employee of the Secretary of State’s office, or an appointed election judge,” the report said.
The Secretary of State’s order likely violates the Colorado state constitution, as well as the Constitution of the United States, which grants state legislatures the sole power to decide how elections are held in each state.
