Northampton County's Elections Commission has certified the November 3 Presidential election, handing Joe Biden a 1,233-vote victory in a county that Trump won four years ago. The Board consists of Republicans Maudenia Hornick and Frank L DeVito, as well as Democrats Dr. Alan Brau, Daniel Lopresti and Gail W Preuninger. Maude Hornick, chair of the Commission, is the sole member who refused to certify. She is the sister of county GOP boss Gloria Lee Snover.
NorCo certified its results in the afternoon. Earlier that day, Lehigh County also certified its results. According to The Morning Call, Lehigh's vote was unanimous.
Having participated as a pollworker in numerous elections over too many years, I've never seen an error-free election. This one looked like trouble. In addition to numerous significant and very recent changes to the Elections Code, this Presidential election had a record 75.68% turnout. To make matters even more interesting, it was conducted in the middle of a pandemic and with poll watchers glaring at us, looking for problems. Yet it is the best and most error-free election I've ever worked. I attribute this to the excellent training provided by the elections staff, a point I made at the hearing.
GOP Chair Snover and Elections Chair Hornick disagree, and both used the word "chaotic" to describe the election. In addition, one of their poll watchers claimed she had been "intimidated" by pollworkers at a precinct in South Bethlehem. She never called the elections office.
Snover listed a litany of complaints from Republicans unable to vote by mail and even said several were unable to vote because someone had already done so, using their name.
While it's always disturbing to hear that any voter has been disenfranchised, bare allegations are an insufficient basis for setting aside valid votes under the Voting Rights Act.
Seated next to Snover was her husband, Michael Snover. He sued (and lost) when elections officials released the names and addresses of voters whose ballots had been rejected. If the Snovers truly believed that mischief was afoot, as Lee contended in a recent radio broadcast, they could have sued to stop certification. They never did. So it's difficult to give much credence to her anecdotes.
I suspect she's looking for excuses to justify how Trump lost a county he won four years ago. This might be because people were turned off by Snover's decision to conduct counter-protests when children protested the killing of George Floyd. It could be that some were incensed by her decision to invite accused felons to participate at a superspreader in Lower Saucon Tp. But mostly, I think it's because the people of Northampton County know Trump much better now than they did four years ago.
The Snovers complain of a "chaotic" election day. America has experienced a "chaotic" four years with Trump at the helm. His failure to deal with Covid-19, the only crisis not of his own making, showed him for what he is.
Snover also complained about the Express Vote XL voting machines, a system she herself once embraced. She ticked off a list of breakdowns at numerous precincts, adding that some were down the entire day. When asked about this complaint, Voter Registrar Amy Cozze noted she had technicians with extra machines on the road to replace any machine that malfunctioned. But she had no breakdowns.
"It's just not true," Cozze said of Snover's complaint.
Cozze's report was much briefer than the polemics delivered by the Snovers. "It was a very long and arduous year. I'm glad it's over. That concludes my report."
31 comments:
It's also official on the national level. GSA has signed off on the transition. Michigan has certified. Giuliani's "elite strike force" is now in a literal meltdown.
Hornick simply proved herself a puppet of her sister. Now both will become laughing stocks in Northampton County.
I watched the Michigan State Canvassing Board Certification meeting today, for all 8-1/2 hours. The Republican that abstained from the final vote was a real piece of work. 400 ballots out of 330,000 in Wayne County had irregularities - a typical and trivial number since the margin was over 150,000 votes - and that bastard played the Trump card and refused to certify. He actually *claimed* it had nothing to do with Trump, but in any other election he would have voted to certify. Disgraceful display of allegiance to Trump over state or country. The crazy blonde who was on Lou Dobbs ranting about food vans delivering ballots in the middle of the night called in, which was very entertaining. Apparently she is taking some grief for her half-assed story that a MI judge dismissed as "not credible". Snover sounds like a real piece of work. And she has family that drinks the same KoolAid.
She should be removed from the board, she has no grounds to vote no to certify this election and I believe she and her sister need to be shown the door.
horrible people
except cozze. she's cool
Sorry, 7:52. It’s not over until the United States Supreme Court decides everything was done in concert with what Constitution requires. All these vote certifications do is create official victims with valid claims of having their Constitutional protections violated. Everything is still in question.
Two comments from Tricia Mezzacappa are removed. She should be looking for a lawyer for her upcoming trial.
7:436, It's effectively over now. Trump has never had a chance in court, and his Pa appeal is absurdly ridiculous. He seeks permission to file a second amended complaint. He is seeking a stay, something an appellate court has no authority to grant. His "elite strike force" legal team has failed to enter an appearance, which is probably a good thing for him.
Like I said, he never had any intention of winning in court. His goal all along has been to undermine voter confidence in our electoral system to such an extent that GOP state legislatures would pressured into taking matters into their own hands.
Now that MI has voted to certify, he appears to have lost his end game.
So now he is allowing a transition, but he will never concede. He intends to return in four years.
"except cozze. she's cool"
She deserves credit but it does not stop there.
The ENTIRE office deserves the credit for an excellent election. This includes the two Amys, Richard Kessler, Jenna Gerbino, Sean (sp?) and several new faces I am sorry to say I do not know by name.
I'd credit Administrator Charles Dertinger as well. He has been an Elections Chair and was heavily involved in the selection of three different systems over many years. He's a bastard, but he's our bastard.
County Council and Exec McClure should also be commended. They spared no expense in making sure Cozze had every penny she needed to conduct a good election. She's now conducted two, and the debacle of 2019 is now just a fading memory from which we all learned.
Cozze is awesome. She trusts voters and the system. What were the results of the LGBTQ referendum?
Her statement on that matter was, in my view, a mistake. I said so at the time. I also noted that there is nothing in the Home Rule Charter or personnel regs that prevent her from doing exactly what she did. So the fault lies with the system, not her. Just as judicial employees are banned from taking part in politics as a part of their job, I believe that elections office employees should be barred from participating in any matter that appears on a ballot, even referenda. I believe Cozze erred in judgment in that matter, but she violated no policy.
But keep looking for some reason to blame her for Trump's loss.
Actually I don't even remember seeing that referendum when I voted now that you mentioned it.
That’s bc NorCo Council pulled it.
Sorry 7:46, the Supreme Court is not riding in to rescue Trump. Your nightmare of living under a radical left wing agenda is coming in 8 weeks. Prepare to bow down to your new Venezuelan masters, but first please turn in your guns at a conveniently located inner city drop box.
Most rational and intelligent Northampton Republicans are embarrassed and ashamed of the Snovers and their Trump boot licking.
The last 2 decades has seen the white collar suburbs fuel the growth of Northampton County, no offense, but why do we pander to the base emotions of a demographic that is shrinking each year in this county and for that matter this country? We want smart, accountable government that spends tax dollars effectively and efficiently. We want law enforcement to protect and serve EVERYONE in our communities. We understand and are not offended when people of color rightfully point out perceived inequities and look for ways to make our society work for everyone so that everyone has an even and fair chance at attaining the level of success that they desire.
The Snovers and their ilk have lost the thread of what being a Republican is all about. They need to move on.
Bernie, has any party in your memory whined about its own collapse, or been pronounced dead by its opposition after a tough election? Let me rephrase: Has this ever NOT happened? In similar news, Eagles fans want Doug Pedersen replaced, after delivering great success just a few years back. Nobody is as good as on their best day, or as bad as on their worst.
9:54,
Put down the QAnon/Giuliani flavored Kool-aid. The reality is the golfing authoritarian will be gone and America has a chance to recover from four years of incompetence.
Maude Hornick is a joke and should be removed from her positon. Simply not doing her job because she's not happy trump lost is pathetic and disrespectful to all who voted.
I'm proud to be one of the Biden voters out here in the sticks of Northampton County. I don't think the boroughs will go blue any time soon but how close this race was in the county is evidence of how much our individual votes matter.
Thanks for the election coverage.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
"Sorry 7:46, the Supreme Court is not riding in to rescue Trump. Your nightmare of living under a radical left wing agenda is coming in 8 weeks. Prepare to bow down to your new Venezuelan masters, but first please turn in your guns at a conveniently located inner city drop box".
Its people like you that has divided our country. Spreading your hateful rhetoric doesn't promote your hate instead it gives people even more reason to vote for decent people who care about our country and not just themselves.
10:53, It's people like you, who have no sense of humor, who divide us. Most Rs do, except for nutbags like you.
To me, no matter if the ultimate winner is Trump or Biden, I need to know the procedures were legal and the counting was fair. At the moment, I am not convinced general acceptance of the announced “victor” if justified.
That is unfortunately bc you have been swayed by the disinformation spewed over the past four years. Take some time to read more neutral accounts. There is always room for improvement and there certainly are instances of isolated election fraud, but it strains credulity to think such a massive undertaking could take place without those involved saying something. We are talking local officials, state officials and a centralized source. That is on its face absurd. Please wake up and use the brain I know you have.
Now that Lee Snovers "national tragedy" is over she can go back to bashing Republicans (Mako), not supporting local candidates(Scheller, Flood), setting up counter BLM protests and preparing for Trumps 2024 run! Oh and finding (and supporting) the most extreme right wing candidates for County Exec & Council next year, that will lose. Go Get 'em Lee !!!! Lee is the best thing that ever happened to Democrats in Northampton County.
@12:18 - I absolutely mean this with all respect - what you've written is an inherent psychological reaction most people have when attempting to justify/rationalize real events they wish were not true or find difficult to comprehend. It's natural to try and develop a reasoning for an unwanted result, which is how and why "conspiracy theories" ultimately take root.
For the election - there is a literal TON of disinformation out there that makes it very easy for people to become confused and mistrustful.
The reality of the US Election system is that it is complex and unique, with each state running things the way they want to run/organize its elections, then even further down allowing individual counties within the state to use their own systems and methods. Outside of some broad outlines such as being over the age of 18 its up to the individual state to decide the rest... When and where votes are cast. How they're cast. Who can cast a vote and who can't that all varies from place to place, state to state. Counter intuitively, that inconsistency is the best security we have against major voter fraud in this country.
Because President Trump highlighted and alleged the risks of voter fraud, really dating back to 2016, he placed a glaring spotlight on how voting was done, which brought many eyeballs into the process to make sure all I's were dotted and all T's were crossed.
Self assess and review what you've read and watched, critically you should acknowledge any confirmation biases that may have led you to your conclusion.
Please wake up and use the brain I know you have.
no truer words were ever typed.
I received an anonymous personal attack aimed at Cozze. I'll post it but your have to ID yourself first. She is a career service employee, not an elected official or a policy maker. So I expect you to ID yourself. Otherwise, STFU.
Mr. O'Hare I write to address some issues raised in postings;
1. If we presume arguendo that the Snover family, and others of their ilk, convinced Republican Party leadership to ignore the voters and cast their own slate of Trump electors, the next step in the process is the presentation of their electors before the joint session of the US House and US Senate to be voted for and must be unanimous from both chambers. In as much as the Republicans control the Senate and the Democrats control the House there would be a tie. The tie-breaker reverts back to the state and it's Chief Executive Officer, in the instant case, Governor Wolf, a Democrat would break the tie; ergo the Democratic slate would prevail. Joe Biden won the popular vote and with it Pennsylvania's Democratic electoral voters. The Republican position is therefore moot. As a former elected Judge of Elections I can confidently state; yes Bernie, you are allowed to take a child into the voting booth, Pennsylvania Statutes Title 25 P.S. Elections & Electoral Districts § 3531.1.
It's simply a fact that Biden won and Trump lost. It wasn't even close. This is the dumbest debate our Nation has ever had.
It's simply a fact that Biden won and Trump lost. I can understand that supporters of the losing candidate wish he had won, but that doesn't make it so! I don't see how Trumpers with such a poor grasp of a reality can manage to hold down full-time jobs!
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