GOP Senate leader Corman reiterates call for Pa. elections chief Boockvar to resign

The majority leader of Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Wednesday reiterated his calls for the state’s top election official to resign, saying instructions she issued to counties on the Sunday before the General Election undermined the integrity of the state’s electoral process. 

Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, said that voters had no reason to have doubt in the security of the state’s elections or the accuracy of the ongoing vote count from Tuesday’s race – both of which are run by county officials, not the department of state. 

But he said Republican lawmakers lost faith in Boockvar when she issued instructions to counties to help voters remedy problems with mail-in ballots – an “11th hour change” that Corman said was unconscionable.

PA senate majority leader Jake Corman is reiterating his calls for Sec of State Kathy Boockvar to resign, saying she “tried to add to confusion” by issuing last minute guidance to counties on counting mail in ballots pic.twitter.com/HomEOXyykR

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) November 4, 2020

“I don’t have any concerns about [the election or vote count], but her actions were unacceptable,” Corman said.

Corman said the guidance Boockvar issued Sunday, telling counties they could enlist political parties and campaigns to contact voters who had problems with mail-in ballots, likely went unnoticed by voters but was liable to confuse county officials before a historic and tense election. 

The guidelines are the subject of a suit in Commonwealth Court brought by two Republican candidates and five Pennsylvania voters, who contend they violate state election law.

Boockvar said Tuesday that she has no intent to resign, and that her agency believes it followed the law issuing the instructions to counties Sunday. 

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, said the allegations brought by his Republican colleagues were “another GOP attempt at chaos,” and that it would be “catastrophic and wrong” for the state’s top election official to resign in the midst of a lengthy vote count and certification process.