Sheriff’s deputies were called to a meeting of the Allegheny County Board of Elections on Monday after the crowd of about 30 began loudly jeering as the board prepared to certify the Nov. 8 midterm election results.
In the end, the three-member board unanimously certified results in all but 12 of the county’s 1,332 precincts. A group of voters petitioned county Common Pleas Court for recounts in those 12 precincts, though county lawyers told the board the petitions are “defective” because the voters failed to pay a $50 fee required for recount requests.
The handful of votes in those 12 precincts aren’t enough to swing the results of any elections, County executive and board chairman Rich Fitzgerald said after the meeting at the County Courthouse, Downtown.
Several in the crowd had asked the board, during the public comment period, not to certify the results. Some cited claims that had been investigated and debunked, others provided no evidence for their allegations.
One woman claimed to have photos of a precinct’s printed, election-night results that showed hundreds more votes cast for Republican candidates than are shown in totals posted on the county’s website. When a reporter asked her after the meeting to see the photos, she refused and declined to answer questions.
The board will likely certify the remaining 12 precincts after the petitions asking for a recount make their way through the courts, Mr. Fitzgerald said.
The petitions are part of a statewide drive...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...