[US Midterm Elections] Voting Machine Failures and Mail-in Ballot Lawsuits Continue... Delay in Confirming Some Elected Officials (Comprehensive)

Trump: "Voting Machines Malfunction Again in Republican Strongholds"
Neck-and-Neck Pennsylvania Faces Continued Mail-In Ballot Litigation

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Due to voting machine malfunctions and intensified legal battles over mail-in ballots during the U.S. midterm election voting process, it is expected to take a long time to finalize the winners. Some factions within the Republican Party, led by former President Donald Trump, are even raising suspicions of election fraud.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 8th (local time), voting was delayed in some areas such as Maricopa County in Arizona and Mercer County in New Jersey due to voting machine malfunctions. In particular, in Maricopa County, about 20% of polling stations under its jurisdiction experienced machine failures, leading to uncounted ballots being processed manually. Maricopa County, home to more than half of Arizona's voters, also experienced some election delays in the 2020 presidential election due to voting machine malfunctions.

Former President Donald Trump posted on his Telegram channel, "Voting machines are reportedly malfunctioning again in areas where Republicans have the majority," and questioned, "Most Republicans have been waiting to vote today, so how could this happen?" He further alleged election fraud, saying, "We lost in the 2020 presidential election due to fraud, but it is starting again," adding, "However, the people will not lose." Maricopa County election officials stated that they are investigating the cause of the machine defects but believe there will be no significant impact on voting and counting.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, one of the most competitive battleground states in this midterm election, the Democratic and Republican parties are engaged in fierce legal battles over mail-in ballots, which is expected to cause a considerable delay in finalizing the winners.

According to CNN, John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit in federal court the day before, arguing that ballots with incorrect or missing dates on the outside of the envelopes should be counted.

Earlier, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court accepted a lawsuit from the Republican National Committee, which argued that mail-in ballots without properly dated envelopes should be invalidated, ruling that ballots with errors or missing dates on the voting date should not be counted. The ruling also included envelopes that arrived before Election Day as uncounted. The Democratic Party is opposing this ruling, claiming it violates the Constitution.

According to The New York Times (NYT), more than one million people in Pennsylvania have voted by mail so far, and it is expected that between 10,000 and 15,000 ballots will have incorrectly marked dates. If the two parties engage in intense legal battles over the election results, it is expected to be difficult to finalize the winners before the court rulings.