Pennsylvania's governor Tom Wolf pleads for patience with vote counting in crucial battleground saying 'take a deep breath - we may not know the results today'
The Pennsylvania governor called on Tuesday for residents of the crucial swing state to remain calm and stay patient as he prepares for Election Night unrest in light of the state mail-in ballot policy where final results there may not be known until next week.
Gov. Tom Wolf released a brief one-and-a-half-minute video in Election Day where he urged Pennsylvanians to 'take a breath.'
'Across the state, dedicated county workers are ready to tirelessly make sure everyone's vote counts,' the Pennsylvania governor said. 'But counting that tremendous number of ballots will take more time than we are used to.'
'We may not know the results today,' he acknowledged, 'but I encourage all of us to take a deep breath and be patient.'
'What is most important is that we have accurate results – even if that takes a little longer,' Wolf added.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf pleaded in a video message Tuesday that residents of the crucial swing state remain patient and calm as officials are given three extra days after Election Day to count incoming mail-in ballots
'We may not know the results today, but I encourage all of us to take a deep breath and be patient,' Wolf said in his video as thousands of Pennsylvanias headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots
The Democratic governor has come under immense fire from critics the last few months regarding his coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns.
Most recently, Republicans in the state were handed a loss from the Supreme Court when they challenged the new state rule allowing election officials to accept and count mail-in ballots received up to three days after the election – as long as it is postmarked for Election Day, November 3.
This year – in light of the coronavirus pandemic – a record number of more than 100 million voters cast their ballots early whether in-person or by mail.
Democrats in Pennsylvania argue that election officials need the extra few days to count up the massive influx of mail-in ballots this year. Republicans claim any ballots received after election day should be void.
President Donald Trump claims the measure is an attempt by Democrats to 'steal' the election.
The Keystone State holds 20 Electoral College votes and is one of the states considered the most critical for Trump to win reelection – along with Florida.
'I believe the days ahead are our moment to shine, and we will do it as a state united as we count every vote,' Wolf said in his video message.
Trump lashed out against the Supreme Court ruling, claiming also immediately that he will levy legal challenges against the results in Pennsylvania if they change in the days after Election Day as mail-in ballots are counted.
He said the results should be known on Tuesday evening.
'I think the ruling on Pennsylvania was an unfortunate one by the Supreme Court because I think we should know what happens on the night,' Trump said Tuesday while visiting his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia as people lined up across the country to cast their ballots.
'Let people put their ballots in earlier,' he suggested of mail-in and absentee voting. 'But you have to have numbers, you can have these things delayed for many days and maybe weeks. You can't do that. The whole world is waiting, this country is waiting – but the whole world is waiting.'
'You have to have a date, and the date happens to be November 3,' the president reiterated. 'And we should be entitled to know who won on November 3.'
Trump railed against Pennsylvania's policy on Tuesday, claiming it's a way for Democrats to try and 'steal' the election: 'We should be entitled to know who won on November 3'
'They should put the ballot in earlier, there's no reason why they can't put the ballot in a few weeks earlier, one week earlier,' Trump said. 'I think it's a very dangerous decision for a country in many ways dangerous, in many ways.'
The Supreme Court also ruled last month that North Carolina could continue accepting and counting mail-in ballots received eight days after Tuesday.
Although victors are not officially called on Election Day, projects by the media are usually accurate enough to predict the winner – and there is typically a concession and victory speech delivered the night of the election.
This year, however, everything is up-in-the-air.
Election results could take weeks as Trump has threatened to challenge the legal validity of the results in Pennsylvania, which, depending on how close the race is, could determine the winner.
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