Pennsylvania Secretary of State, who has emerged as a villain to supporters of former President Donald Trump, said on Monday that she will resign for failing to comply with an unrelated state election law.
Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat, will step down on February 5. His office spoiled the handling of a state constitutional amendment that would allow more victims of sexual abuse to sue their alleged abusers.
In a statement, she said: “I have always believed that responsibility and leadership must be the foundation of public service. Although I only became aware of the error last week, and immediately took steps to alert management to the error, I accept responsibility on behalf of the department. “
Pennsylvania law requires that the proposed amendments pass the state legislature twice. The secretary of state’s office is expected to publish the proposed amendment in two newspapers in each of the state’s 67 counties before the election between polls, which his office did not do.
Governor Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, announced Boockvar’s resignation in a press release that emphasized that the issue was separate from the presidential election.
“This change in the State Department has nothing to do with the administration of the 2020 elections, which was fair and accurate,” said Wolf.
“The delay caused by this human error will be painful for thousands of survivors of child sexual violence, advocates and lawmakers, and I join the State Department to apologize to you. I share your anger and frustration that this has happened and I am at your side in your fight for justice. ”
Boockvar became a national political figure after trying to accept postal ballots three days after the November 3 election, which the state Republican Party said had usurped the power of the state legislature.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sided with Boockvar, as did the United States Supreme Court.
Ultimately, Boockvar said that about 10,000 ballots arrived in the three days after the election – well below President Biden’s margin of victory of around 80,000 votes.
Trump and his campaign claimed that Boockvar was complicit in voting irregularities, but these allegations were unsuccessfully filed in court.
Trump tweeted the day after the election: “We are winning a lot in Pennsylvania, but the PA Secretary of State has just announced that there are ‘millions of votes left to count’.”
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri opposed Biden’s Pennsylvania voter certification shortly after a crowd of Trump supporters broke into the Capitol on January 6 and interrupted proceedings. The Senate voted 92-7. accept Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania. The House voted 282-138 to affirm Biden’s victory.