The Trump campaign has been videotaping people as they deposit ballots in drop boxes in Philadelphia. This surveillance has been justified as an attempt to catch violations, however, the state’s Democratic attorney general suggested it could amount to illegal intimidation.
The campaign acknowledged the taping in a letter from a lawyer that complained it had caught voters on video illegally depositing multiple ballots. City elections officials responded they could not confirm the activity was inappropriate under Pennsylvania law.
Linda Kerns, the lawyer for the Trump campaign requested election officials last week to stop the use of “unmanned drop boxes.” The New York Times first reported the development Thursday.
The Trump campaign had previously said it would film voters at drop boxes, but would not make an issue out of voters bringing in an extra ballot, only large numbers of ballots.
Philadelphia and many other heavily populated counties in Pennsylvania are using drop boxes to help collect mail ballots. Kerns said that video taken by a campaign representative shows three people dropping off as many as three ballots in a limited time period Oct. 14.
Pennsylvania law, in most cases, requires voters to deliver their own mail-in ballots, Kerns wrote, although it makes an exception for voters with disabilities.
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Kerns suggested the images amount to “blatant violations” of state election law and said the Trump campaign would sue, unless the city’s election office “commits to remedy this problem immediately.”
She asked for copies of city surveillance video at City Hall, for a list of voters who dropped ballots in the Philadelphia City Hall drop box on Oct. 14, and that the ballots be set aside “until an investigation can determine whether the ballots were personally delivered” by the voter.
Benjamin Field, a city lawyer responded Monday to Kerns to reject her assumption that the law was violated. Third-party delivery is permitted in certain circumstances, he wrote.
Trump campaign surveillance
Although the city had forwarded theTrump campaign’s information to the district attorney’s office, Field said, the elections office does not track whose ballots are dropped into particular drop boxes.
In a statement, the office of District Attorney Larry Krasner said it is committed to investigating “any and all” allegations of voter intimidation and harassment. The office of the state attorney general, Democrat Josh Shapiro, warned in a statement that videotaping voters at drop boxes could be construed as illegal voter intimidation.
“Pennsylvania law permits poll watchers to carry out very discrete and specific duties, videotaping voters at drop boxes is not one of them,” state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) told the Times.
In any case, Shapiro’s office said, the Trump campaign had provided similar photos and videos in a lawsuit in federal court trying to ban drop boxes. A judge threw out the case.
Trump called on his supporters to become poll watchers, which requires official certification through the Republican Party. There are concerns that his call will result in his far-right supporters showing up at poll places and intimidating voters on Election Day.
Noticias Newswire
