Informing Democracy conducted public record reviews of County Board of Elections members in Pennsylvania to identify whether any past behavior raises concerns about their commitment to fair vote counting and election certification. We looked for statements or actions that indicated election denial, attempts to subvert election administration or undermine faith in the system, belief in election conspiracies, and other anti-democracy sentiment.
Concerning findings do not mean an official will seek to undermine the next election, just as a lack of findings is not a guarantee an official will faithfully execute their duties. This research provides guidance on where attention should be focused to ensure that elections are administered properly according to the law. Notably, research showed that the vast majority of local election officials are dedicated public servants, committed to running free and fair elections.
Of Pennsylvania’s 209 County Board of Elections members whose news appearances, social media, and votes were reviewed, research identified concerning findings in the backgrounds of 49 officials, or 23%.
<aside> 🚨 By the numbers: 23% of officials reviewed exhibited concerning behavior.
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Research surfaced 14 officials with election roles, across 14 counties, who publicly denied or questioned the results of the 2020 election. This election denial ranged from sharing conspiracy theories about fake ballots being counted to outright claims the election was stolen or rigged. For example, Erie County Commissioner Samuel “Charlie” Bayle stated, “Anyone in this country with an ounce of common sense knows the left cheated to some extent. Their philosophy isn't about making it easier to vote, just easier to manipulate the vote.” Wyoming County Commissioner Rick Wilbur wrote, “81 million votes for Biden is all the proof I need. No way 81 live and breathing [sic] humans voted for him unless some voted numerous times. Maybe 10 million Lazarus clones?”
In addition, three of these officials attended the January 6th Trump rally in Washington, D.C. One year after the riot, Potter County Commissioner Robert Rossman even posted pictures from the trip and wrote, “No I did not enter the Capitol, but as I reflect on that day, I see more of a similarity to the Boston Tea Party than anything else. For sure not Pearl Harbor or 9/11, the people had a grievance with their government and they took it out on their government, not business owners like you saw in the riots in the summer of 2020.”
In numerous instances, County Board of Elections members took official action to obstruct and undermine the electoral process in the state. One even served as a fake elector for Donald Trump: Allegheny County’s Sam DeMarco was investigated by the FBI after he signed on as an alternative elector for President Trump’s scheme to overturn the 2020 election results.
Overall, 15 individual Board of Elections members have opposed certifying election results since 2020**.** While some individual members, like Lackawanna County’s Chris Chermak, voted against certification due to personal opposition to drop boxes, others defied the law and refused to certify mail-in ballots with undated exterior envelopes—like officials in Berks, Fayette, and Lancaster counties. One Luzerne County Board of Elections member also abstained from voting to certify in November 2022 to see what would happen if the vote were not certified.
County Commissioners entertained and gave election deniers a platform to discuss hand counting every ballot cast during the election, contrary to state law. Requests for a hand count often coincided with pushes to retroactively audit the election results outside the county’s legal process. Butler, Lycoming, and York Counties ultimately pursued 2020 audits or partial hand recounts of 2022 election results.
Pennsylvania election deniers and skeptics leveled attacks on Pennsylvania’s voting systems, particularly mail-in and drop box voting, as being rife with fraud. Some cited the now-discredited 2,000 Mules film. A number of election officials who are not election deniers themselves have also worked to end these voting systems. Echoing and legislating based on these disproved attacks can increase distrust in election systems.
Election deniers also cast doubt on Pennsylvania’s elections on a statewide basis, often while assuring constituents of the validity of their own local elections. Centre County’s Steven Dershem, who repeatedly questioned the security of drop boxes, similarly “admitted he shared similar election concerns … but said locally, the election was conducted fairly.”