The campaign headquarters of US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Monday rejected claims by her opponent — Republican Donald Trump, of massive vote manipulation in the key US state of Pennsylvania, Reuters reported. According to the current vice president's team, the system works effectively to take into account even the few emerging problems, quoted by BTA.
Harris's campaign assured that the voting process is being closely monitored across the country, in coordination with state attorneys general, so that all irregularities are reported in a timely manner before the main election day on November 5.
"Fraud is being committed in Pennsylvania on a scale never seen before, and it is being exposed before our eyes," Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social on Wednesday. "We have caught them in a major fraud in Pennsylvania. This must be investigated immediately!" Trump did not provide evidence in his claims, Reuters added.
Harris' campaign commented that "cheating is only in the head of the one who claims it" and called Trump's accusations another attempt by him to cast doubt on the system, "fearing losing". Kamala Harris spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement on MSNBC that Trump is “using baseless accusations before Election Day, hoping to blame everyone but himself.”
Trump’s raising of the issue of voter fraud has raised concerns that if he loses, he could again, as he did four years ago, challenge the results of the vote, Reuters notes. Four days before Tuesday’s election, polls show a close race between the Democratic and Republican candidates both nationally and in swing states.
The former president and his Republican supporters have filed a series of lawsuits seeking to tighten mail-in voting restrictions in Pennsylvania and other states. Republicans insist this is for security reasons, arguing that mail-in voting cost Trump his victory in 2020. These allegations, however, have not been confirmed, Reuters emphasizes.
Trump spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said that the “election integrity team“ is aware of cases of fraud and voter pressure, although she did not give a specific response to the comments from Harris's campaign.
The reported problems include cases in Pennsylvania, where a small number of people were denied access to the ballot because of early voting lines, and false registrations in three other counties. Harris' campaign said that “the system is working properly“ and is reporting these cases to law enforcement.
Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania judge extended the deadline for filing applications for mail-in voting in Bucks County after a lawsuit by Trump. Pennsylvania Elections Commission Chairman Al Schmidt said some footage showing voters in lines giving up may have been taken out of context or inaccurate. Harris' campaign has also filed lawsuits related to complaints from Erie County voters who are worried that their mail-in ballots will not arrive on time.