Pennsylvania GOP senators ask Congress not to certify Electoral College vote

The letter reads:

"As members of the Pennsylvania Senate, we believe in the integrity of the election process. After speaking with our colleagues, a majority of the State Senate is troubles by the many inconsistencies that happened in our Commonwealth during the 2020 election.

"Due to numerous unlawful violations taken by Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf; Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar; and the rogue State Supreme Court, the balance of power was taken from the State Legislature, who by the US and PA Constitutions, set the time, place and manner of holding elections."

The cite Act 77 of 2019 that provides that "all mail-in ballots must be received by 8:00 pm election night," that "officials at polling places must authenticate the signatures of voters," and that "County Election Boards may begin pre-canvassing of absentee and mail-in ballots after 8:00 am on election day."

They state their concerns about poll watchers, saying that Act 77 allows for "poll watchers selected by candidates and political parties" to be "permitted to observer the process of canvassing absentee and mail-in ballots," and that there were no provisions made per that act for "drop boxes of 'curing' of ballots."

It was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the legislators allege, which seven weeks before the 2020 General Election ruled that "mail-in ballots could be received and counted up to three days later," that "ballots mailed without a postmark would be counted," and that "signatures on mail-in ballots would not need to be verified." This, they say, was a drastic overstepping of the bounds of the court's authority as these are the jurisdiction of the legislature.

The senators take aim at Boockvar, saying that she "usurped legislative authority" in "allowing for a proliferation of unsecured drop boxes in key Democratic areas," and that "on the day before the election, encourages some counties (not all) to notify party and candidate representatives of mail-in voters whose ballots contained disqualifying defected and allowing them to 'cure' these defects."

Concerns were also raised in the letter as to the removal of Republican poll watchers in Philadelphia to view the ballot counting from a place where it could not actually be viewed.

In light of these issues, they state that they "believe that PA election results should not have been certified by our Secretary of State."

"Members," they conclude, "we ask for more time given the fact that the US Supreme Court is to hear Trump vs. Boockvar in the coming days. We ask that you delay certification of the Electoral College to allow due process as we pursue election integrity in our Commonwealth."

The Congress is set to vote on certification of the Electoral College's vote for President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. Over 140 members of the House of Representatives as well as a handful of senators have stated their intention to vote against certification.

Thousands of Trump supporters were on route to Washington, DC, to attend a rally in support of the President on Wednesday while Congress meets to certify the votes of the Electoral College.

The state of Texas brought suit against the state of Pennsylvania in the US Supreme Court, alleging that Pennsylvania did not follow their own legislative rules about voting procedure and as such disenfranchised the other 49 states of their constitutional rights. The Supreme Court declined to hear that case.

Trump vs. Boockvar is docketed at the Supreme Court, and was "DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/8/2021."