Pa. Governor's Wife Dropped Off His Ballot for Him, Which Is Illegal: 'Honest Mistake'
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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's office says he made an "honest mistake" when his wife, First Lady Frances Wolf, dropped off his mail-in ballot before last Tuesday's election.
Voters who do not mail an absentee or mail-in ballot must deliver it in person to the county board of elections unless there is preapproval for certain circumstances, according to election laws in the state led by Wolf, who is a Democrat.
"I did vote, actually I voted by mail," Wolf, 72, said during an Election Day interview with News Radio KDKA's Kevin Battle.
"My wife actually dropped it off personally two weeks ago, so it's there," he also said.
But as Republican State Rep. Seth Grove noted to ABC 27 News, "That's an election law violation."
"He broke the law," Grove said. "Like, the governor broke the law. And, actually, it was his wife because she ended up handing the ballot in, and that's the trigger for violating election law."
A violation of the state law which prohibits others dropping off a voter's mail-in ballot is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, according to Spotlight PA.
A spokeswoman for the governor said the mishap was an "honest mistake," the Associated Press and other outlets report.
Grove also brought up a bill he sponsored that would have addressed the issue of dropping off mail-in ballots, among others, but the governor declined to sign it.
"The frustrating part is we actually had a bill to fix it," Grove said, "and he vetoed it."
