In a letter dated Nov. 6 and shared on social media, Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons addressed Leigh Chapman, Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, saying her department’s recent guidance regarding the election was unnecessary and troubling.
The letter states that Parsons’ understanding “is that on Saturday November 5, 2022 [Chapman’s] department sent out guidance to all Pennsylvania counties to provide a survey, or count, broken down by party affiliation, of all undated or incorrectly dated ballots for the 2022 general election.”
The Pa. Supreme Court recently ruled that counties should segregate but not count undated or incorrectly dated ballots, Parsons wrote, and “I can think of no non-partisan reason that the Pennsylvania Department of State would need a count of such ballots by party affiliation.”
Parsons stated the party affiliation of the undated ballots is “irrelevant to those administering the election.”
Parsons also called out an Oct. 11 email sent by Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions Jonathan Marks. Parsons wrote Marks “incorrectly” articulated the “then current state of the law.”
“Nothing has the potential to damage faith in elections more than the appearance of partisanship from those who administer elections,” Parsons wrote in his letter to Chapman. “Therefore, if there is a neutral, non-partisan reason for your department’s latest request, please articulate that reason to the counties of Pennsylvania.”
Parsons concluded his letter by stating that he “will be recommending that we do not comply with your recent guidance.”
[See Parsons’ full letter below.]
Chris Hume is the host of The Lancaster Patriot Podcast and the author of several books, including Seven Statist Sins. He can be reached at info@thelancasterpatriot.com.
