LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — President Trump has called for a halt to ballot counting and is threatening legal action as he trails behind former Vice President Joe Biden in electoral votes. In this NEWS10 Digital Exclusive, Siena College Political Science Professor Leonard Cutler explains the Trump campaign’s lawsuits to stop the vote count.
In classes with students, Cutler says he discusses a number of scenarios that could play out. Topics also include the impact of the Trump campaign’s decision to pursue a series of legal suits regarding access to poll counters and signature validations.
Cutler said Pennsylvania is the litmus test as the President’s legal team files objections to the state supreme court’s decision to allow for a seventy-two hour ballot counting extension due to the pandemic. “The Trump administration is arguing, through its campaign team, its legal team, that the state of Pennsylvania could not do that. Why? Because the legislature of the state of Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Constitution, specifically has the authority to extend that time. It is not for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to perform the legislative function,” said Cutler.
Cutler told News10, even if the litigation plays out in Trump’s favor, it still may not necessarily be the game changer. “If Joe Biden wins Arizona, if Joe Biden wins Nevada, then he’s at 270. However, here’s the other side of the coin. If it doesn’t work out as Joe Biden is hoping and Pennsylvania is the determinate state, and there are all kinds of scenarios here where in fact Pennsylvania could determine the outcome of this election, then we’re dealing with SCOTUS right in the middle of it,” said Cutler.
He said depending on how it all plays out, it could still be quite a while before we have an official winner. “If North Carolina is the pivotal state, they have until November 12, November 12, that’s next week, to determine the outcome of the vote tabulation,” Cutler said.
“Georgia, they found another fifty thousand votes that need to be counted. They’re hoping to have that vote count, unofficial, but pretty close, by tonight,” he added.
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