In Pennsylvania and across the nation, election deniers must be voted out | Editorial

With Labor Day passed, the sprint is on to Election Day.

But unlike in prior years, when voters looked to candidates for answers on the economy, taxes, healthcare, and foreign policy, the biggest question is whether the United States will hold a free and fair election and certify the winners.

That’s because President Donald Trump is doing everything he can to cast doubt on the electoral outcome or possibly reject the results — if the Democrats win control of either or both chambers of Congress.

Of course, if the Republicans retain control of the House and Senate, well, then never mind. Under that scenario, the Trump-led effort to gerrymander congressional districts, seize ballots, suppress mail voting, curtail voter access through executive orders, gut election security agencies, send federal agents to the polls, and other efforts will have resulted in a “perfect” election.

But if the Republicans lose either the House or Senate, brace yourself for chaos.

This should not surprise anyone who endured Trump’s relentless efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Recall that he was criminally indicted for that ugly plot against the will of the people.

Hundreds of insurrectionists — inspired by Trump’s repeated election lies — were charged with or convicted of crimes related to that violent day that will forever be a stain on American history.

Trump freed them all on his first day back in office, including those who attacked police officers. He also pardoned several key election deniers who worked on his behalf, including disgraced former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, election dirty trickster Roger Stone, and many others.

Sadly, 2020 may just be a warm-up compared with 2026.

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This time around, dozens of county officials in charge of elections in key states like Virginia, Ohio, and Nevada are election deniers.

Pennsylvania is home to more election deniers in office than any other state in the country, according to a recent report by the States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to free, fair, and secure elections.

The report found 86 election deniers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including nearly half of the state Senate and a third of the House. Many played a role in efforts to subvert the 2020 contest.

Voters have an opportunity to remove the election-denying tumor from the body politic on Nov. 3, when all the state House members and half the state Senate in Harrisburg are on the ballot.

The same goes for Congress. Several Pennsylvania representatives who are election deniers are also on the ballot, including Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Lloyd Smucker, John Joyce, Guy Reschenthaler, Glenn “GT” Thompson, and Mike Kelly.

The entire Republican congressional delegation — including U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick — voted for the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

The SAVE Act is billed as an election integrity measure, but it is nothing more than an attempt to suppress votes, and would especially impact married women and Black and brown voters.

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U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) has been one of the biggest champions of the legislation, along with Trump. Yet, despite Trump’s relentless pressure campaign, there was not enough support in the Republican-controlled Senate to pass it.

The measure is dead for now. But the best way to secure future elections is to vote out the election deniers.

Until then, the next few months before and after the election will be a major stress test for election integrity across the country.

With no real accountability for his past un-American actions, Trump is more emboldened to do whatever it takes to keep Republicans in control. (He has a strong partner in the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that has actively dismantled voting rights and handed Trump broad immunity from his crimes.)

Trump is not acting out of allegiance to GOP members running for office. He cares only about retaining his own power. Like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Trump sticks his neck out for nobody — least of all his loyal MAGA voters.

The president fears that if Democrats take control of the House or Senate, there will be investigations into his rampant corruption, which includes self-dealing schemes that enabled him to make more than $2 billion during his first year back in office.

GOP lawmakers have also done little to nothing about affordability issues, the failed war in Iran, deportation abuses, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s upending of the rule of law.

For those fed up with the direction of the country under Trump, there is only one answer: Vote the bums out.