House Democratic Caucus condemns House Republican interference in Lehigh Valley election

Rep. Peter G. Schweyer    November 19, 2021 | 10:12 AM

Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders and Lehigh County’s democratic legislators issued the following statement on Thursday in response to a letter sent to Lehigh County election officials earlier this week by state House Republicans. Seeking to advance their own political agenda, in the letter, Republicans, led by Speaker of the House, Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, overstep their role as legislators and threaten the Lehigh officials with impeachment.

The threatening letter sent to the Lehigh County Board of Elections this week by state House Republican Leadership is another attack meant to undermine the public’s confidence in Pennsylvania’s election system and is an overstep of our role as state legislators. We condemn these efforts.

It is wholly inappropriate for House Republicans to threaten impeachment against a group of volunteer officials for no reason other than having a different interpretation of the law. Previous court opinions – as recently as 2020 – held that vote by mail ballots could be counted without a date. House Democrats acknowledge that a court may have a different opinion. However, we believe that it is the role of the court’s – not the legislature – to interpret the law. 

House Democrats are focused on restoring faith in our system that has proven to be fair and effective time and time again and to trust those who have been elected to uphold the integrity of our free and fair elections. The House Republicans would be better to redirect their efforts toward governing rather than launching threats at their fellow elected officials.

Lehigh County voters - and no one else - should get to choose who the judges are in their home county.

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