Trump campaign sues Philadelphia for right to monitor in offices voter reg, mail-in ballot process

The Trump campaign on Thursday night filed court papers arguing that Philadelphia officials are preventing campaign representatives from watching people registering to vote or fill out mail-in ballots in election offices in the Pennsylvania city.

Winning battleground state Pennsylvania is key to either President Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden winning the White House race — with 33 days remaining before Election Day. Trump won the state in 2016, despite Philadelphia being a Democratic stronghold.

The 14-page lawsuit, filed in a state court in Philadelphia, centers on the question of what rights campaign representatives have on watching people in election offices where they can register to vote, apply for mail-in ballots, fill them out or turn them in.

"Bad things are happening in Philadelphia," the campaign's lawsuit states, according to the Associated Press. "While transparency and accountability are hallmarks of election integrity, the actions of Philadelphia election officials to date have undermined election integrity by shrouding the casting of ballots in secrecy."

The campaign is asking to be able to assign representatives to observe inside satellite election offices that Philadelphia began opening Tuesday across the city to help collect what is expected to be a record number of mail-in ballots in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Election lawyers, city officials and the state's top elections official state the law gives no rights, even for a certified poll watcher, to watch people do things like register to vote or fill out a mail-in ballot.

They argue such rights are limited to certified campaign representatives to observe voting at a polling place on Election Day or the opening of absentee and mail-in ballots in an election office, according to the wire service.