Casey leads in Democrat-heavy Philadelphia with 85% of the vote

Pennsylvania's recent Senate race has become the center of controversy as Republican candidate David McCormick challenges the counting of provisional ballots in Democratic-leaning Philadelphia. The election results show that Democrat Bob Casey secured a significant victory in Philadelphia, garnering nearly 85% of the vote in the city known for its strong Democratic support.

The issue at hand revolves around the provisional ballots that were issued to voters whose mail-in ballots had been rejected, and subsequently, these individuals showed up to cast their votes in person. These provisional ballots, according to regulations, must be placed in secrecy envelopes and signed in front of an election official at the polling place.

McCormick's legal team has raised concerns regarding the presence of enough Republican representatives during the counting of these provisional ballots to ensure proper scrutiny and challenge if necessary. They have alleged that there may not be sufficient oversight to guarantee the integrity of the ballot-counting process.

Casey's campaign, however, has refused to concede the race, pointing out that a substantial number of provisional and overseas absentee ballots still need to be processed and counted. The campaign spokesperson emphasized that the high volume of provisional ballots from areas like Philadelphia indicates that the race is too close to call definitively at this point.

In response to the ongoing dispute, McCormick has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit challenging the validity of the provisional ballots cast in Philadelphia. The lawsuit requests that the court intervene and set aside provisional ballots where voters had previously requested but were denied mail-in ballots.

Moreover, the legal filing argues that the provisional ballots under question should not be included in the final count until the U.S. Supreme Court resolves an appeal related to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling. This particular ruling stipulates that voters who faced rejection of their initial mail-in ballots should be allowed to vote with provisional ballots instead.