Pennsylvania governor calls Trump campaign lawsuit to stop counting ballots ‘simply wrong’

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) called the Trump campaign’s lawsuit to stop ongoing ballot counting in the key battleground state “simply wrong.”

“It goes against the most basic principles of our democracy. It takes away the right of every American citizen to cast their vote, and to choose our leaders,” Wolf said during a press conference Wednesday evening. “Our election officials at the state and local level should be free to do their jobs without fear, without intimidation, without attacks. These attempts to subvert the democratic process are simply disgraceful.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf calls Trump campaign lawsuit against his state “disgraceful.”

“I’m going to fight like hell to protect the vote of every Pennsylvanian.” https://t.co/bZPztNLrOu pic.twitter.com/sB9DOmVuj7

— ABC News (@ABC) November 4, 2020

Trump’s campaign filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop Pennsylvania’s ongoing ballot-counting amid a multi-state legal fight to not have votes counted beyond Election Day. A judge ruled just before Election Day to allow Pennsylvania to continue counting ballots until Friday so long as they are received postmarked by Election Day.

The day before Election Day, Trump tweeted that allowing ballots to be counted beyond Election Day would “induce violence.” The president’s tweet had been another effort to sow doubt about ballots that are counted after Tuesday, despite states doing just that for decades. Trump has also spent part of this campaign season baselessly expressing doubts about the validity of mail-in ballots.

Wolf insisted Wednesday that Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral votes, would be counting every ballot it had received.

“We will continue to administer free and fair elections in Pennsylvania. Let me be clear, in Pennsylvania every vote is going to count. I’m going to fight like hell to protect the vote of every Pennsylvania. … Because in Pennsylvania, every voice matters, every vote matters,” Wolf said.

No projected winner for president has been declared in the Keystone State as of Wednesday evening.