U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, joined a plethora of plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seeking certain restrictions how mail-in ballots are used in Pennsylvania during the November general election and to greatly expand the presence of party-designated poll watchers.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, joined a plethora of plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seeking certain restrictions how mail-in ballots are used in Pennsylvania during the November general election and to greatly expand the presence of party-designated poll watchers.The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges “unmonitored” mail-in voting “will lead — and has already led — to the disenfranchisement of voters, questions about the accuracy of election results, and ultimately chaos” in the general election.Kelly joins seven other plaintiffs, including U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-15th, John Joyce, R-13th, and Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th, President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, the Republican National Committee and two Fayette County poll watchers.In their court filing, the group asks the court to issue an injunction prohibiting the state's 67 county boards of elections from expanding mail-in capabilities beyond what is prescribed in the state election code, as well as an injunction permitting poll watchers to be present at any precinct, including those outside their county, or where mail-in ballots are returned.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.