Democratic Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia addressed a crowd of constituents who expressed their frustrations regarding her decision to openly defy the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's directive on counting undated or incorrectly dated mail-in ballots. 

This controversy arises in the context of the competitive race between Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and his Republican opponent, David McCormick, as The Washington Examiner reported.

“That issue that I spoke on has now gone viral,” she said. “It was genuinely not the best words. I feel terrible about it. I should have been more clear. I will be more clear in the future.”

Apology Details

During the meeting, Ellis-Marseglia's apology was largely ignored, as attendees responded with shouts of "liar" and "resign" from the crowded venue.

In a surprising statement last week, Ellis-Marseglia captured the attention of Bucks County voters and Republicans nationwide by declaring, “Precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country.”

“People violate laws any time they want,” she added. “So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There is nothing more important than counting votes.”

County Decisions

Like other election officials across the state, the Democratic-majority board in Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Bucks counties decided to count the ballots that did not include the right date. They said that the date does not tell them anything about a voter's eligibility or the authenticity of a ballot.

A key component of ballot security, according to Republicans, is the date. As a result of the parties' repeated barrage of the court system, the situation swiftly descended into a legal nightmare.

Following the actions of numerous counties governed by Democrats, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a directive on Monday prohibiting counties from tallying absent a valid date for mail-in votes.

The verdict upheld the previous ruling by the high court, which prevented the inclusion of potentially thousands of ballots with incorrect or missing dates in the final count.

.@ScottPresler to Democrat Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia: “We are coming for your seat in 2027…”

We refuse to sit idly by while the Democrats try to rig our elections in an attempt to cling to power.

🔵🔜🔴 pic.twitter.com/2eO19SBz4p

— Scott Presler's Early Vote Action (@EarlyVoteAction) November 20, 2024

The large turnout of voters at Wednesday's commission meeting was a direct result of the outrage and irritation sparked by Ellis-Marseglia's comments that she willfully disregarded the court's decision.

Authorities had to provide for an overflow hearing room to accommodate the large number of individuals who came to voice their discontent.

The public systematically demanded Ellis-Marseglia's resignation, threatened legal action against her, and vowed to remove her from office.