Democrats charge Roe with voter fraud over candidacy

EAST MARLBOROUGH >> Voter fraud charges have been filed against Republican Eric Roe by the Chairman of the Chester County Democratic Party, alleging Roe knowingly ran for state representative, despite not meeting the commonwealth’s residency requirements.

Roe, 28, is the Republican candidate for state House in the 158th District.

Brian McGinnis, chairman of the Chester County Democratic Party, filed complaints with Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan and Pennsylvania Attorney General Bruce Beemer late this week. The complaints allege Roe has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for four years as required by the state constitution. The complaints say Roe has been a resident of Washington, D.C., as late as last month, while employed at a political action commitee.

Roe is facing Democrat Susan Rzucidlo in the November election for the seat currently held by state Rep. Chris Ross. Ross, a Republican, will retire at the end of his term later this year.

“Eric Roe clearly does not meet the four-year commonwealth residency requirement for state House candidates,” said McGinnis. “Despite our warnings after the Chester County Republicans endorsed Roe, the Republicans nominated a candidate who does not meet the constitutional requirements to serve. Eric Roe has misrepresented himself to the voters in the 158th and now we are calling on Tom Hogan and Bruce Beemer to take action. If Donald Trump and the Republicans are so concerned about voter fraud, they should look in the mir-

ror because Eric Roe’s case is clear cut fraud.”

Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Chester County Republican Party, said the complaint is meritless.

“The truth is, Eric Roe has lived in the district nearly all his life, having moved here when he was 3 years old, attended high school here and, during the period in question, maintained his driver’s license here, voted here, and paid his taxes here,” he said. “The rest is nonsense and I hope Susan and her party will stop purposely misleading the voters.”

Joel Frank, solicitor for the Chester County Republican Party, called the complaint “baseless.”

“When this issue was first raised months ago, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the actual facts in light of the governing law and readily concluded that Eric met the statutory requirements to hold office,” he said. “Although we still have not seen the actual complaint, it is apparent to me that Mr. McGinnis and his cronies don’t grasp or understand the applicable law. Their accusations are baseless, unfounded, and reckless.”

Rzucidlo said Roe’s residency is a legal matter that will have to be decided by the courts. She said the Chester County Democratic Party researched and decided to pursue the matter.

“For me, my focus is on the election on Nov. 8,” she said. “I was very clear in the Daily Local News article printed on April 23, 2016, that I did not support Gov. Wolf’s budget, I felt it was bad for the people of Pennsylvania.”

Rzucidlo believes Roe and DiGiorgio have reportedly misled the voters in mailings and on TV “in a desperate attempt to get that young man elected.”

Rzucidlo also said she hopes they “will do the honorable thing and retract those statements and apologize to the people of the 158th” for what she believes was a misrepresentation.

According to the complaint, drafted by attorney Adam Bonin, “the legal question is whether Roe was an inhabitant of Pennsylvania on Nov. 8, 2012, and for the four years thereafter. He hasn’t been. It’s closer to two years, three months.”

The Chester County Democratic Party questioned Roe’s qualification prior to April’s primary election when evidence surfaced from Roe’s LinkedIn page that he remained living and working in D.C. for Freedom Ring, Inc. past the key date of November 2012. Roe worked as a consultant for Let Freedom Ring from November 2012 to June 2013. He reportedly moved out of his D.C. apartment soon after.

But DiGiorgio said Rzucidlo is looking for an easy way to victory.

“Three-time failed candidate Susan Rzucidlo opposes pension reform and liquor privatization,” he said. “She supports the largest tax increase in the history of the commonwealth, which would tax everything from day care to college textbooks to senior living facilities and more. Since Susan cannot convince voters in her district that she agrees with them on these and other issues, she is touting a spurious claim about Eric Roe’s residency.”

Eric Roe