The Pennsylvania secretary of state, who came out as a villain to supporters of former President Donald Trump, said on Monday she will step down for failure to comply with an unrelated electoral law.
Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat, is leaving on February 5. Her office screwed up the handling of a state constitutional amendment allowing 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. Although I only became aware of the error last week and immediately took steps to notify the administration of the error, I accept responsibility on behalf of the department. “
Pennsylvania law requires proposed changes to pass through state legislatures twice. The secretary of state must announce the proposed change in two newspapers in each of the state’s 67 counties before the election between votes, which her agency has failed to do.
Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, announced Boockvar’s resignation in a press release emphasizing that the issue was unrelated to the presidential election.
“This change at the State Department has nothing to do with the management of the 2020 election, which was fair and accurate,” said Wolf.
“The delay caused by this human error will be heartbreaking for thousands of survivors of childhood 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 with you in your fight for justice. “
Boockvar became a national political figure after attempting to accept post-in ballots three days after the November 3 elections, which the Republican Party said had taken power from the state legislature.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sided with Boockvar, as did the US Supreme Court.
Ultimately, Boockvar said that in the three days following the election, about 10,000 ballots came in – well below President Biden’s margin of about 80,000 votes.
Trump and his campaign claimed Boockvar was complicit in voting irregularities, but those allegations were unsuccessfully filed in court.
Trump tweeted a day after the election, “We are winning Pennsylvania big, but the PA Secretary of State just announced that ‘millions more ballots have to be counted.’
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley objected to the certification of Pennsylvania voters for Biden shortly after a gang of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, disrupting proceedings. The Senate voted 92 to 7 to accept Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania. The House voted 282-138 to confirm Biden’s victory.