Pennsylvania Democratic Party sues competitive Erie County over mail ballots

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party on Wednesday sued a competitive swing county in the state's northwestern corner over its alleged handling of mail ballots, after reports indicate that some voters are still waiting to receive their ballots.

The lawsuit was filed in state court and reports that only 52% of ballots in Erie County had been returned as of Monday, which is significantly lower than the national average, and is one of the lowest in the state, according to Politico.

The case alleged that county election officials sent the wrong ballots to hundreds of voters, and that thousands have not received their ballots yet. It also noted that the United States Postal Service claimed it is trying to locate 1,800 mail ballots from the county's vendor, which the service said it had never received. 

Local media also reported that USPS delayed hundreds of mail ballots in the county last week by sending it to the wrong post office. It is not clear if those are among the 1,800 unaccounted for. 

The lawsuit requests that the state court forces county election officials to disclose a list of voters they believe had not received their ballots as of Oct. 22, and allow those voters to obtain their ballots in person through Nov. 4, and immediately return them.

Voters in the state who have not received their mail-in ballot so far can track its status online here.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.