The Trump campaign notched a second win in a Pennsylvania court on Thursday after a judge ruled that some ballots lacking identifying voter information should be set aside and not yet counted.
The decision from Mary Hannah Leavitt, the president judge on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, came through on Thursday afternoon. She ordered that all ballots received between Nov. 9-12 that lack voter information on them should be separated out and not counted pending further instruction of the court.
“The county boards of elections shall segregate ballots for which identification is received and verified on November 10, 11, and 12, 2020, from ballots for which identification is received and verified on or before November 9, 2020,” the court order says. “The segregation for which identification is received and verified on November 10, 11, and 12, 2020, shall not be counted until further order of this court.”
🚨BREAKING: Trump campaign notches WIN in PENNSYLVANIA state court
The court, at Trump's request, issues interim order to election boards to (a) set aside certain mail ballots that lack identifying info for the voter, and (b) not count those votes until after ct rules further pic.twitter.com/B8EMKF246Z
— John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) November 5, 2020
University of California Irvine law professor Rick Hasen, a CNN election law analyst, said that the court ruling is unlikely to effect the end outcome of whoever wins the state of Pennsylvania between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“[Hasen] tells me he doubts this will be a big deal — with the caveat being that if the PA count is super close, this order would set off a race to obtain the relevant voter info by the Nov 9 deadline set out by the judge,” The Hill reporter John Kruzel said.
.@rickhasen tells me he doubts this will be a big deal—with the caveat being that if the PA count is super close, this order would set off a race to obtain the relevant voter info by the Nov 9 deadline set out by the judge
— John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) November 5, 2020
The court decision, which was pushed for by the Trump campaign, comes on the heels of an earlier court win in Pennsylvania in which the court ordered state election officials to allow GOP observers within six feet of the ballot canvassing process. Trump touted the decision as a “Big legal win in Pennsylvania!”
Pennsylvania remains a key battleground state and central to the Trump campaign’s stated pathway to victory. If Trump can hold onto his leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina, and flip Arizona with outstanding ballots still being counted, Trump will win reelection. His campaign has projected confidence that such an outcome will be the case, though neither Pennsylvania, Georgia, nor North Carolina has been called by any major media outlet, and Arizona has been called for Biden by Fox News and The Associated Press.
The Trump campaign preemptively claimed victory in Pennsylvania on Wednesday despite the fact that no major media outlet has called the race as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continues to cut into Trump’s lead in the state as outstanding ballots are counted. The GOP has descended on the state, gearing up for a legal fight.
“We are declaring a victory in Pennsylvania. This is not based on gut or feel. This is based on math,” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters during a press call on Wednesday afternoon.
The Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania on Wednesday, alleging that Republican representatives were not being given fair access to observe the vote counting procedures. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has argued that with the number of ballots still outstanding, and taking into consideration where those ballots are from, the campaign believes that Biden cannot make up the difference and overtake Trump in the state.