Democrats in several polling locations in Pennsylvania reportedly tried to prevent Republican poll watchers from entering the building on Election Day.

The issue came to light on Tuesday morning when an X user named Linda A. Kerns announced that “FOUR of our Court appointed election workers were kicked out and told they can’t work.”

Polls have not opened yet in Philly and FOUR of our Court appointed election workers were kicked out and told they can't work. Democrats don't want our people on the polling places. #electioninterference. Reported to DA Krasner..let's see if he takes action. @gop

— Linda A. Kerns 🇺🇲 (@lindakernslaw) November 5, 2024

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley, in a post on X, acknowledged learning about the issue, noting that it also happened in other locations in Pennsylvania. “We deployed our roving attorneys, engaged with local officials, and can now report that all Republican poll watchers have been let into the building,” he wrote.

PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION INTEGRITY:

Early this morning we learned that Republican poll watchers in Philadelphia, York, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Lehigh, Cambria, Wyoming, and Lackawanna Counties were being turned away.

We deployed our roving attorneys, engaged with local officials,…

— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) November 5, 2024

The GOP issued a press release on Tuesday notifying the public about the situation, arguing that keeping poll watchers out of polling locations “is a crime, and should not happen in a fair and secure election as promised by Governor [Josh] Shapiro and Secretary [Al] Schmidt.”

The GOP demanded that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner “immediately act and allow our poll observers into precincts.”

In another press release, the Republican Party noted that the Pennsylvania GOP filed a lawsuit to extend voting hours to account for delays caused by issues with ballot scanning. "This morning's ballot processing issues in Cambria have resulted in delays — this is unacceptable, plain and simple. Our legal team acted immediately to support extended hours to give voters the opportunity to vote - we need voters to STAY IN LINE!” Whatley said.

This episode is the latest in a series of election integrity battles the GOP has fought leading up to the election. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the requirement for accurate dating on mail-in ballots. The ruling came after an appeals court ruling allowing ballots with dating errors to be counted.

The decision affects about 9,000 ballots that were missing key elements like dates, signatures, or secrecy envelopes. The RNC touted the ruling as a crucial win to ensure fair voting processes in one of the nation’s most important swing states.

Of course, the blocking of GOP poll watchers could have been a simple misunderstanding. But given the current political climate and what happened during the 2020 election in the Keystone State, it is not beyond the stretch of the imagination to speculate that Democrats are employing every tactic, fair or unfair, to ensure their candidate secures victory. In this case, it appears the situation did not go in their favor.