What could trigger costly, time-consuming election recounts in Pa.? 3 signatures and $50

April 15, 2024 | Bruce Siwy | USA Today

Some organizations are calling for changes to Pennsylvania’s system for launching recounts, though the odds of reforms occurring before the November general election seem slim.

Groups including Better PA believe the current practice provides space for bad-faith efforts to disrupt or delay electoral certification in the commonwealth. John Jones III, a retired federal judge in Pennsylvania, said members of these organizations argue that the state’s General Assembly should adopt more stringent rules for initiating a recount in order to avoid the potential for post-election chaos.

“The recount law has not been amended or changed to fit the times by the Pennsylvania Legislature,” said Jones, a board member for Keep Our Republic, a nonprofit that bills itself as a nonpartisan civic education organization “with a unique focus on the unconventional threats facing our election system, and on ways to help strengthen trust in our electoral system.” …

“What if you get out of 36 days (from the election) and it’s time to deliver and certify the electoral votes to the United States Congress and Pennsylvania hasn’t certified the election results? And if you don’t certify the election results, you don’t know who the electors are. That’s a major issue that really remains unresolved and could arise,” -John Jones III