11 3 20 Barnett V Lawrence Complaint
11 3 20 Barnett V Lawrence Complaint
11 3 20 Barnett V Lawrence Complaint
10/20) CIVILDocument
Case 2:20-cv-05477-PBT COVER 1SHEET
Filed 11/03/20 Page 1 of 14
The JS 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replace nor supplement the filing and service of pleadings or other papers as required by law, except as
provided by local rules of court. This form, approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the use of the Clerk of Court for the
purpose of initiating the civil docket sheet. (SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON NEXT PAGE OF THIS FORM.)
I. (a) PLAINTIFFS DEFENDANTS
KATHY BARNETTE and CLAY D. BREECE KENNETH E. LAWRENCE, VALERIE ARKOOSH, MD,
MPH, and FRAN DEAN
(b) County of Residence of First Listed Plaintiff Montgomery County of Residence of First Listed Defendant Montgomery
(EXCEPT IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES) (IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES ONLY)
NOTE: IN LAND CONDEMNATION CASES, USE THE LOCATION OF
THE TRACT OF LAND INVOLVED.
(c) Attorneys (Firm Name, Address, and Telephone Number) Attorneys (If Known)
Andrew Teitelman, Law Offices of Andrew Teitelman Josh M. Stein, County Solicitor, One Montgomery Plaza ste
P.C., 380 Red Lion Rd Ste 103, Huntingdon Valley, PA 800, Norristown, PA 19404 610-278-3033
19006 267-255-6864
II. BASIS OF JURISDICTION (Place an “X” in One Box Only) III. CITIZENSHIP OF PRINCIPAL PARTIES (Place an “X” in One Box for Plaintiff
(For Diversity Cases Only) and One Box for Defendant)
1 U.S. Government ✖ 3 Federal Question PTF DEF PTF DEF
Plaintiff (U.S. Government Not a Party) Citizen of This State 1 1 Incorporated or Principal Place 4 4
of Business In This State
2 U.S. Government 4 Diversity Citizen of Another State 2 2 Incorporated and Principal Place 5 5
Defendant (Indicate Citizenship of Parties in Item III) of Business In Another State
/s Andrew Teitelman
/s Andrew Teitelman
Case 2:20-cv-05477-PBT Document 1 Filed 11/03/20 Page 3 of 14
and
Plaintiffs,
v.
Defendants.
INTORDUCTION
Not all counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are giving voters the same
opportunity to vote, jeopardizing the integrity of the 2020 election. In Montgomery County, the
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Board of Elections is not only deviating from the standards set forth in the Pennsylvania Election
Code, they have substituted and are implementing their own arbitrary standards by illegally pre-
canvassing mail-in ballots received before November 3rd and, in certain instances, providing the
electors submitting such illegally pre-canvassed ballots that are found to be deficient an
opportunity to re-vote on or before November 3rd. The photograph below shows some of the
more than 3,900 pre-canvassed ballots literally sitting in the main public hallway of the
Montgomery County Health and Human Services Building (where, in another part of the
building, the two rooms being used for the canvassing of mail-in ballots is located):1
1
This “Ballots for Sale” photo was taken on 11/01/2020 by Robert Gillies during a tour of the
Montgomery County mail-in ballot storage and canvass facility.
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The ballots are near the main entrance of the building and are easily accessible by anyone
entering or leaving the facility, whether county employees of members of the public. The
Pennsylvania Election Code expressly prohibits counties from pre-canvasing any ballots,
including absentee and mail-in ballots, before 7:00 a.m. on Election Day. 25 § P.S.
3146.8(g)(1.1). The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania stated: “[U]nlike in-person voters, mail-in
or absentee voters are not provided an opportunity to cure perceived defects in a timely
manner.” In re: November 3, 2020 General Election, No. 149 MM 2020, *12 (Pa. Oct., 23,
2020). Part of the Supreme Court’s rationale is tied to the equal treatment of voters. While
Berks County, some of whose electors, including plaintiff Breece, share the Pennsylvania 4th
Congressional District with the majority of Montgomery County electors, is adhering to the
Election Code and the Supreme Court’s ruling, Montgomery County is pre-canvasing mail-in
and absentee ballots, before 7 a.m. on Election Day, detecting defects in these ballots, and
To make matters worse, the Montgomery County Board of Elections is restricting the
ability of candidates and their representatives, the parties and their representatives and other
legally constituted watchers (the “Canvass Watchers”) to observe the entire canvass process for
1. Using two rooms instead of one, but only allowing the Canvass Watchers to be in
a tiny holding pen at the edge of the room where the ballots will be scanned. The holding pen
does not even afford a sufficient view of all of the ballot scanners and operators and, at best a
highly obstructed view of the room where the ballot envelopes are opened and no view of the
area where a committee chosen by the Election Board will make the decisions about the
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2. Providing a single 40” flat screen television in the holding pen so the Canvass
Watchers permitted to be in the pen can see views obtained from approximately 12 ceiling
cameras located throughout the two rooms that are supposed to be a substitute for actually
3. The vast majority of the Canvass Watchers will not even be able to be in the
holding pen and will be relegated to a remote “overflow room” that has two 40” flat screen
These blatant failures to adhere to Election Code were made known to the Board of
Elections by plaintiff Barnette through her counsel’s letter dated November 1, 2020, a copy of
which is attached hereto as Exhibit A. That letter followed Barnette’s letter of October 31, 2020,
(attached hereto as Exhibit B), where she requested that the Board of Elections supply her with
the written procedures they will employ regarding the handling, security, chain of custody and
canvass of the mail-in and absentee ballots and, also requesting that they be permitted to make a
video recording of the process, while painstakingly adhering to privacy and security concerns.
Barnette’s requests were ignored, brushed off or red-taped into oblivion by the response of the
Election Board via County Solicitor Josh Stein’s letter of November 2, 2020, a copy of which is
attached hereto as Exhibit C, along with the email exchanges between the parties related thereto.
Montgomery County’s failure to comply with the Election Code and the Supreme Court’s
holding results in the disparate treatment of voters in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of
the Fourteenth Amendment. Equivalent votes in different counties and amongst similarly
situated Montgomery County electors are being treated differently. Pennsylvania voters should
not be treated differently based on the county where they are required to vote.
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residing in Montgomery Country, and is an elector therein and a candidate for the Fourth
residing in Berks County, and is an elector for the Fourth Congressional District in Pennsylvania.
the conduct of elections in Montgomery County, including the conduct of election personnel at
and the Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and is sued in his
official capacity.
5. Defendant, Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, is the Vice Chair of the Board of
Elections and Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and is sued in her
official capacity.
7. This Court has jurisdiction of this matter pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 28
U.S.C. § 2201.
BACKGROUND
9. The Pennsylvania Election Code states: “The county board of elections shall meet
no earlier than seven o’clock A.M. on election day to pre-canvass all ballots received prior to the
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10. “The word ‘pre-canvass’ shall mean the inspection and opening of all envelopes
containing official absentee ballots or mail-in ballots, the removal of such ballots from the
envelopes and the counting, computing and tallying of the votes reflected on the ballots. The
term does not include the recording or publishing of the votes reflected on the ballots.” 25 P.S. §
102(q.1).
11. “A county board of elections shall provide at least forty-eight hours’ notice of a
12. And, “one authorized representative of each candidate in an election and one
representative from each political party shall be permitted to remain in the room in which the
absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are pre-canvassed. No person observing, attending or
participating in a pre-canvass meeting may disclose the results of any portion of any pre-canvass
13. During the pre-canvasing, the county board first “shall examine each ballot cast to
determine if the declaration envelope is properly completed and to compare the information with
the information contained in the ‘Registered Absentee and Mail-in Voters File.’” 25 P.S. §
3146.8(g)(3).
14. Then the board “shall open the envelope of every unchallenged absentee elector
and mail-in elector in such manner as not to destroy the declaration executed thereon.” 25 P.S. §
3146.8(g)(4)(i).
15. “If any of the envelopes on which are printed, stamped or endorsed the words
‘Official Ballot Election contain any text, mark or symbol which reveals the identity of the
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elector, the elector’s political affiliation or the elector’s candidate preference, the envelopes and
the ballots contained therein shall be set aside and declared void.” 25 P.S. § 3146.8(g)(4)(ii).
16. Finally, the county board “shall then break the seals of such envelopes, remove
the ballots and count, compute and tally the votes.” 25 P.S. § 3146.8(g)(4)(iii).
17. The Montgomery County Board of Elections has verified that, in contravention of
November 3, 2020, by inspecting newly received mail-in ballots and/or absentee ballots and
noting any defects such as defects in declarations or a missing inner envelope also known as a
“secrecy envelope.” Email from Joshua M. Stein, Esquire to Julia Vahey, 10/31/20; Email from
Frank Dean (Dean) to Lee Soltysiak and Josh Stein, 10/31/20 (hereinafter “Ex. D”); Excel
spreadsheet attached to Email from Dean to Lee Soltysiak and Josh Stein, 10/31/20 (hereinafter
“Ex. E”).
18. Specifically, in his October 31, 2020 e-mail, Dean sent the “latest list of ballots
with defects” to Lee Soltysiak and Josh Stein and wrote: “If the defect is an Incomplete
Declaration or Missing Secrecy Envelope, the voter need only come to 1430 DeKalb Street,
Norristown, PA 19401. They will be given the opportunity to correct their declaration or we will
provide them with a secrecy envelope, which they can insert and reseal inside the Ballot Return
Envelope.” Ex. D.
19. Dean further wrote: “For the remainder of defects, the voter needs to go to Voter
Services, One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Suite 602, Norristown, PA 19404 and
20. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania stated: “[U]nlike in-person voters, mail-in or
absentee voters are not provided an opportunity to cure perceived defects in a timely
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manner.” In re: November 3, 2020 General Election, No. 149 MM 2020, at *12.
21. The Excel spreadsheet attached to Dean’s October 31, 2020 e-mail indicates that
Montgomery County began pre-canvassing as early as October 21, 2020, based on start and end
times in the spreadsheet, and contacted some but not all voters with defects in their ballots. Ex.
E.
22. Dean’s October 31, 2020 e-mail and Excel spreadsheet demonstrates that
Montgomery County engaged in pre-canvassing prior to 7:00 a.m. on Election Day by inspecting
absentee and/or mail-in ballots. Exs. A & B. Dean’s Excel spreadsheet specifically notes ballots
23. Montgomery County never provided public notice 48 hours prior to engaging in
pre-canvassing.
24. Montgomery County deprived one authorized representative from each candidate,
including Barnette, and each party from being in the room in which the mail-in and absentee
26. Montgomery Count allowed voters to change their ballots by, for example,
changing their declarations or adding a secrecy envelope in the Ballot Return Envelope.
27. Upon information and belief, Berks County has not deviated from the Election
Code standards by adding their own language or engaging in pre-canvasing or limiting the ability
of their Canvass Watchers to actually observe the entire canvass of the mail-in and absentee
ballots in that county; and does not intend pre-canvass or canvass such ballots prior to 7:00 a.m.
on Election Day. Unlike the Montgomery County Board of Elections, the Berks County Board
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of elections has provided public notice and stated: “Due notice is hereby given that the pre-
canvass of mail-in and absentee ballots will commence on November 3, 2020 at 7:00AM,
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Reading, 701 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19601.” Berks County
28. Berks County in Pennsylvania is following the Election Code by (a) refraining
from pre-canvasing until 7:00 a.m. on Election Day and (b) not providing electors an opportunity
to change their ballots after submitting the ballots to Berks County. They are also providing their
Canvass Watchers a full and fair opportunity to observe the entire canvass process, unlike
Montgomery County.
29. Montgomery County’s actions violate the Election Code of Pennsylvania, the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s holding, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment.
30. As a result of Montgomery County’s actions, similarly situated voters are being
treated differently based on the county where they are required to vote. In other words,
31. In Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98, 104-05 (2000), the Court determined that Florida’s
right to vote. The Supreme Court held that “[h]aving once granted the right to vote on equal
terms, the State may not, by later arbitrary and disparate treatment, value one person’s vote over
that of another.” Id. (citing Harper v. Va. Bd. of Elections, 383 U.S. 663, 665 (1966) (“[O]nce
the franchise is granted to the electorate, lines may not be drawn which are inconsistent with the
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32. At this juncture, in order to make sure that voters in Berks County and
Montgomery County are treated equally, Defendants must set aside and declare void any ballots
33. Currently, the Montgomery County Board of Elections has identified at least
1,200 electors as of Dean’s October 31, 2020 e-mail, who submitted a defective mail-in or
absentee ballot. Plaintiff does not challenge Montgomery County’s actions with respect to any
34. Defendants have exalted Montgomery County mail-in and absentee voters over
35. Plaintiff is running as the candidate in the 4th Congressional District for the
Republican Party, and she will be at a significant disadvantage as the 4th Congressional District
consists of both Montgomery County and Berks County. A vote that could count in
Montgomery County will not count in Berks County because of the decisions made by
Pennsylvania’s holding.
36. In short, the Montgomery County Board of Elections practice is unlawful and
37. The standard being applied by Montgomery County Election Board will result in
similarly situated electors in Montgomery County, whose ballots have the same kinds of
disqualifying issues that would render them stale, but which are detected on or after November
3rd, from those whose ballots are shown in the Ballots for Sale photo who the county will permit
to revote if they show up on or before November 3rd. And, the improper pre-canvass and
opportunity to revote given to some Montgomery County electors is not being offered at all - -
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and properly so, by the Berks County Board of Elections, resulting in their 4th Congressional
District electors being treated differently from the Montgomery County electors whose ballots
were pre-canvassed prior to 11/03. None of the electors from either county should be permitted
to revote and none of their ballots should have been pre-canvassed in any event.
COUNT I
Violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the
United States of America
38. The allegations set forth in the foregoing paragraphs are incorporated herein as
39. The Board’s action presents not only a problem under Pennsylvania’s Election
Code but it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Bush v. Gore,
531 U.S. 98, 104-05 (2000) (“[H]aving once granted the right to vote on equal terms, the State
may not, by later arbitrary and disparate treatment, value one person’s vote over that of
another.”)
40. The Montgomery County Board of Elections has placed Montgomery County
ballots prior to 7:00 a.m. on Election Day, by contacting select voters to notify them that they
may change their ballot, and by permitting select voters to change their ballots.
41. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law and will suffer serious and irreparable
harm to their constitutional rights unless Defendants are enjoined and compelled to enforce the
a. Enjoining the defendants and anyone acting on their behalf from pre-canvassing
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b. Enjoining the defendants and anyone acting on their behalf from contacting any
elector whose mail-in ballot or absentee ballot contains perceived and actual defects and
c. Setting aside, sequestering and declaring spoiled any mail-in or absentee ballots
that have been changed by an elector or otherwise not conforming with the Election Code;
e. Awarding Plaintiff’s attorneys fees and costs under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 1988; and
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