Bucks Commissioners Condemn Trump's Mail-Vote Claims

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The two members of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners' Democratic majority have condemned President Donald Trump's unfounded claim that mail-in voting will lead to mass voter fraud, calling it a "baseless lie."

During a press conference on Friday, Trump, a Republican, refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November election, claiming, as he has done before, that increased mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic will lead to fraud.

"In a democracy, that is unacceptable," said Bucks commission Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Vice-Chairman Bob Harvie. "The peaceful transfer of power following an election may be the most enduring and enviable legacy of the founding fathers. It displays for the world to see the respect for law and for the will of the people. Without it, we cannot call ourselves a democracy."

They call Trump's unsubstantiated claim about mass voter fraud "a baseless lie with zero evidence."

"We are living in unprecedented times and such meritless comments lay the groundwork to delegitimize the election and cast serious doubt on our electoral process," Marseglia and Harvie said.

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In a separate statement, the commission's lone Republican, Gene DiGirolamo, also voiced support for Pennsylvania's mail-in voting system. As a state representative from Bensalem, DiGirolamo voted in favor of the state's current voting law.

"The Republican Party and leadership were convinced this was the right thing to do, along with other issues included in the bill," he said. "Gov. Wolf (a Democrat) signed the bill and it was a bipartisan agreement ... . I am absolutely committed to making sure that, whether you vote at the polls or use mail-in voting, your vote will be counted and the voting process will be safe and secure.

"Many states have been using mail-in voting for years with not only little to no problems, but also little to no incidents of voting fraud."

Trump's campaign has targeted mail-in voting in Pennsylvania in particular, filing a lawsuit attempting to stop it in November's election. Pennsylvania, as is usually the case, is considered a swing state in the election between Trump and former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden.

The president, who uses mail-in voting himself, has tried to distinguish between states that automatically send mail ballots to all registered voters and those that send them only to voters who request a mail ballot.

The five states that routinely send mail ballots to all voters have seen no significant fraud.

Fact Check, the nonpartisan project of the Annenberg Research Center that monitors national politicians' statements for accuracy, has repeatedly found Trump's comments on mail-in voting and fraud to be untrue.

Marseglia and Harvie noted that Pennsylvania's new mail-in voting law had bipartisan support and was passed by the Republican-controlled state House and Senate.

The two, who also serve on the county's Board of Elections, said access to voting by mail, while approved last year, became more important with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

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"We have gone to great lengths during this pandemic – from new equipment to new employees to the installation of ballot drop boxes – to ensure this election is carried out as effectively, efficiently and transparently as possible," they said. "When claims of election fraud are made, it insults the dedicated public servants who work around-the-clock in the Bucks County Board of Elections, processing voter registrations, mail-in ballot applications, training Election Day workers and will ultimately conduct the official count.

"We can’t let that insult stand unanswered."