Trump making longshot bid to slow state vote certifications

With time and options running out, President Donald Trump's campaign is peppering states with a flurry of legal challenges aimed at slowing down vote certification process — a longshot strategy that has almost chance of reversing President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

campaign is seeking to halt vote count in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona until y can have partisan poll watchers inspecting voting process to ensure “illegal” ballots are t counted. But y have presented evidence that illegal ballots have been counted, let alone counted in so great a number that it would make a difference in loss to Biden.

Trump's own ministration issued a resounding rebuke Thursday to his claims of fraud.

“re is evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” according to Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security ncy, which spearheed federal election protection efforts. “ vember 3rd election was most secure in American history.”

States are still counting and certifying results of election, which is rmal in days after presidential races. When count is completed, each goverr is required by law to prepare “as soon as practicable” documents kwn as “Certificates of Ascertainment” of vote. certificates list electors’ names and number of votes cast for winner and loser. certificates, carrying seal of each state, are sent to archivist of United States.

Dec. 8 is deline for resolving election disputes at state level. All state recounts and court contests over presidential election results are to be completed by this date. Some states set earlier delines of late vember for certification.

But Matt Morgan, Trump campaign's general counsel, said Thursday evening y were seeking to halt certification until y can get a better handle on where vote tallies are in states and wher y would have right to automatic recounts.

“Our legal strategy is to proceed to bring resolution to any of our issues prior to final certification,” Morgan said. He said strategy would reveal itself to be successful in time. “You can’t eat an entire apple in one bite.”

campaign's lawsuits center on allegations me by partisan poll watchers that y were t allowed proper access to view ballot counting and refore y believe something illegal may have happened. Poll watchers do t have authority to audit ballot process and most are volunteers. Those allegations have evidence to back m up, and judges have alrey dismissed many of claims.

In Michigan, Judge Cynthia Stephens dismissed one filing as “inmissible hearsay within hearsay.” When Trump’s lawyers appealed, next court kicked filing back as “defective.”

effort to pepper states with lawsuits is also aimed at providing Trump with an off-ramp for a loss he can't quite grasp. Trump aides and allies also ackwledged privately legal fights would — at best — forestall inevitable, and some h deep reservations about president’s attempts to undermine faith in vote.

But y said Trump and a core group of allies were aiming to keep his loyal base of supporters on his side even in defeat, especially going into a Georgia special election where control of U.S. Senate hangs in balance.

Efforts to try to reverse popular vote have been pushed by some Trump allies in conservative media but t directly embraced by president’s campaign. Any such effort to subvert popular will would require coordinated and simultaneous action across multiple battleground states — a level of sophistication that has thus far eluded Trump campaign.

But if litigation somehow succeeds, all better.

In Arizona, Biden holds a le of about 11,000 votes over Trump as of Thursday evening, with about 17,000 ballots left to count across state. lawsuit re seeks a halt in certification in Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous.

attorneys defending election officials argue Trump is in effect seeking a recount, which isn’t allowed in Arizona unless margin is fewer than 200 votes or less, or one-tenth of 1% of votes cast, whichever is smaller number. Trump campaign said it isn’t seeking a recount — it’s asking for counting of ballots that were never tabulated.

Trump campaign attorney Kory Langhofer told judge that lawsuit challenges good-faith errors me in counting of ballots. “We are t alleging fraud in this lawsuit,” Langhofer said. “We are t alleging that anyone is stealing election here.”

On Dec. 14, electors vote by paper ballot in ir respective states and District of Columbia. Thirty-three states and D.C. have laws or party regulations requiring electors to vote same way popular vote goes in state. In some states, rogue electors can be replaced or subjected to penalties, according to Congressional Research Service. votes for president and vice president are counted and electors sign six “Certificates of Vote.” certificates, along with or official papers, are sent by registered mail to various officials, including president of Senate.

certificates must be delivered to designated officials nine days later. If y are t delivered, law provides alternative avenues for getting results to Washington.

House and Senate hold a joint session to count electoral votes on Jan. 6. If one ticket has received 270 or more electoral votes, president of Senate, currently Vice President Mike Pence, anunces results. With verdict in some states still to come, Biden alrey has won eugh states to be awarded more than 270 electoral votes.

Im Credits: PTI