Election certified despite last-minute recount petition

Both Lehigh and Northampton counites have certified the results of the Nov. 8 election, and a judge denied a last-minute petition Tuesday for an election recount in a Lehigh County district.

Daniel L. Pauley II, Mary Ann Pauley and Tam Tran Masucci filed the petition for a hand recount Nov. 23 — a day after the results were certified in Lehigh — for the 1st District of Upper Saucon Township due to their belief there was fraud or error committed in the processing of ballots for the offices of senator, governor, lieutenant governor and 7th Congressional District representative, according to court documents.

Their petition contained no details, however, and Judge Thomas Capehart dismissed the case due to a lack of evidence and the petition not mentioning any specific act of fraud or error.

Neither the Lehigh County Democratic Committee nor the Lehigh County Republican Committee responded to requests for comment.

Monday was the deadline to certify election results, but not every county was able to meet it.

Berks County had to delay certifying its results Monday due to multiple recount petitions as part of what is reportedly a statewide attempt by supporters of failed gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano to flood Pennsylvania courts with petitions seeking to force hand recounts.

The Berks County Republican Committee said it filed the petitions after receiving complaints from some voters that voting machines were changing votes cast for Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate to ones for the Democratic candidates.

The petitions were filed during a five-day window to challenge election results that began when election workers completed a final count Nov. 16.

In Pittsburgh, Allegheny County’s Board of Elections voted Monday to certify the election results at 1,311 polling places but did not vote to certify results from 12 polling places where recount petitions have been filed.

In Luzerne County, Democratic and Republican members on the Board of Elections deadlocked on certifying election results due to disagreement over whether the election was carried out fairly.