Trump’s Team Files Lawsuits in Penn, Georgia, Michigan Over Voting

On Wednesday, the Trump Campaign began laying the groundwork to challenge the election results.

The President is laying the groundwork to challenge the election results in key states at the United States Supreme Court.

(Photo: AP via PTI)

On Wednesday, as the vote counts across crucial battleground states keep pouring in, the Trump Campaign has filed lawsuits in the states of Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while demanding a vote recount in the state of Wisconsin.

PENNSYLVANIA

(Graphic: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

The President is laying the groundwork to challenge the election results in Pennsylvania at the United States Supreme Court. The Trump campaign claims that it is suing in the battleground state of Pennsylvania - where results are yet to be declared - over poll watchers and voter ID laws.

Pennsylvania has a total of 20 electoral votes.

Trump deputy campaign manager Justin Clark, in a statement, says: “Bad things are happening in Pennsylvania. Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and dilute Republican votes. President Trump and his team are fighting to put a stop to it.”

“We are suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers – observers whose only job is to make sure every valid ballot is counted, and counted once.”

“The Trump Campaign is also suing to stop Pennsylvania Democrats from breaking the very law that helps America vote – the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). While HAVA requires that states ensure certain first-time voters provide identification in order to vote, Secretary Boockvar – three days ago – re-wrote Pennsylvania Election Code to abuse her unilateral executive fiat and move the deadline for absentee and mail-in voters to provide missing proof of identification well past the deadline,” he added.

On Thursday, a Pennsylvania appellate court granted the Trump campaign the right to observe ballot counters in Philadelphia.

Trump claimed the order as a 'Big legal win in Pennsylvania!' on Twitter.

The Trump campaign is also going to the Supreme Court, challenging a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that allowed ballots to be counted after Election Day.

“The time has come. Given last night’s results, the vote in Pennsylvania may well determine the next president of the United States,” Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for the President, said in the new filing.

“And this Court, not the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, should have the final say on the relevant and dispositive legal questions," he said.

Mirroring the Pennsylvania Supreme court case, the Trump Campaign filed another new lawsuit on Thursday afternoon against Philadelphia elections officials.

The lawsuit was filed for allegedly violating the campaign's due process rights by blocking the observation of ballots in the city. It, however, does not contain any details about how or why canvassing might have been blocked, according to reports.

MICHIGAN

(Graphic: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Joe Biden has been projected to win in Michigan, which contributes 16 electoral votes to the electoral college, and where Trump was earlier leading.

The Trump campaign has released a statement saying it has filed a lawsuit in Michigan, asking the state to halt counting until it receives “meaningful access” to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process.

The Biden Campaign, with speculation around possible legal fights, is raising money for the campaign’s election protection efforts.

“To make sure every vote is counted, we’re setting up the largest election protection effort ever assembled,” Biden tweeted. “Because Donald Trump doesn’t get to decide the outcome of this election – the American people do.”

Biden's running mate, Harris, too put out a plea on Twitter.

A state court judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Trump campaign that asked for an immediate halt to the vote counting until its representatives had “meaningful” access to ballot counting and adjudication.

The lawyer representing the state, Heather Meingast, said the case was essentially moot because the counting had already concluded. “The ship has really sailed on the relief that they’re requesting in this case", according to reports.

GEORGIA

(Graphic: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

President Trump’s campaign has filed a lawsuit in Georgia seeking to pause the state’s count for the presidential election, alleging that there are problems with processing of absentee ballots, according to BBC.

Georgia Republican chairman David Shafer took to Twitter and claimed that there were multiple reports of problems at tabulation centres.

WISCONSIN

(Graphic: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

President Donald Trump's campaign has requested a recount of votes in the key battleground state of Wisconsin, where Biden has a marginal lead according to Reuters. Notably, Trump had won the state in 2016 by just 22,000 votes, CNN reported.

Democratic candidate Joe Biden is projected to win in the state of Wisconsin. Biden has 49.4 percent of the vote, while Trump has 48.8 percent, with 99 percent estimated votes reported.

The state of Wisconsin contributes 10 electoral votes.

"There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results," campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement, without providing details of any reports.

"The President is well within the threshold to request a recount, and we will immediately do so."

According to the Associated Press, Biden’s slender lead in Wisconsin was due to late burst of votes from Milwaukee.

Based on the fact that the margin between Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Wisconsin is less than 1 percentage point, Edison Research said that this allows a candidate to seek a recount.