It’s been 27 months since President Biden won the 2020 election.
But that election continues to haunt officials in the Philadelphia suburb of Delaware County, Pa., who are still dealing with lawsuits alleging election fraud, despite no substantial evidence, and ongoing criticism from some local residents during public meetings.
For William Martin, the county’s solicitor, the level of frustration hit a breaking point last month during a county council meeting.
“I am profoundly offended to listen to baseless allegations of fraud against me and against other county workers,” Martin said after sitting through another round of public comments. “It’s time to put up or shut up. If you think there is fraud, sue me. Sue me! Sue me personally. Because then when it gets thrown out, I’ll sue you for abuse of process. Sue me!”
Many other local officials in Pennsylvania are still grappling with the aftermath of the 2020 election. More recent political contests in that swing state have become a hotbed for election deniers and misinformation. And election watchers are concerned about how that could spill over into upcoming elections, including next year’s presidential race.
A few weeks ago, about three hours away from Delaware County in central Pennsylvania, officials in Lycoming County urged residents to be respectful during a meeting about the results of a controversial hand recount conducted in January for ballots cast more than two years ago in the 2020 election.
“If you’re here to get in anyone’s face or intimidate someone, you’re in the wrong room. You might as well leave right now,” said Scott Metzger, a Republican county commissioner, who noted discussions about the recount had become “very heated.”
Lycoming County election officials said they found no significant difference between the recount and their original tallies from November 2020. The results, the county’s board of elections said in a statement, “confirm that the vote totals were not inaccurate by thousands of votes as was claimed.”