The Secretary of State of Pennsylvania, who emerged as a villain for supporters of former President Donald Trump, said Monday she would resign because she did not comply with an unrelated law on the state’s election.
Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat, leaves office on February 5th. Her office has finalized 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 accountability and leadership should be a cornerstone of public service. While I only became aware of the error last week and took immediate steps to notify the administration, I accept responsibility on behalf of the department. ”
Pennsylvania law requires proposed amendments to pass the state legislature twice. The secretary of state’s office must announce the proposed amendment in two newspapers in each of the state’s 67 provinces before the by-election, which her office could not do.
Governor Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, announced Boockvar’s resignation in a press release emphasizing that the issue is separate from the presidential election.
“This change at the Department of State has nothing to do with the administration of the 2020 election, which was fair and accurate,” Wolf said.
‘The delay caused by this human error will be heartbreaking to thousands of survivors of sexual assault, advocates and lawmakers, and I join the Department of Foreign Affairs. I share your anger and frustration that it happened, and I stand with you in your fight for justice. ”
Boockvar became a national political figure after three days after the November 3 election attempt to cast the ballots, which, according to the Republican Party, overcame the power of the state legislature.
The Pennsylvania High Court sided with Boockvar, as did the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the end, Boockvar said that about 10,000 ballots had arrived in the three days after the election – far less than President Biden’s victory of about 80,000 votes.
Trump and his campaign claim Boockvar was complicit in the irregularity of the vote, but the claims were unsuccessfully put forward in court.
Trump tweeted one day after the election: “We are winning Pennsylvania big, but the Secretary of State has just announced that there are ‘millions of ballots left to count’.”
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley objected to the certification of Pennsylvania’s voters for Biden shortly after a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6 and disrupted the proceedings. The Senate voted 92-7. to accept Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania. The House voted 282-138 to confirm Biden’s victory.