Swearing-in ceremonies were held yesterday in the PA Senate, but those ceremonies were disrupted over the seating of a senator in the 45th district.
Republican Senators yesterday refused to seat Democratic Senator Jim Brewster. The election results for Westmoreland and Allegheny County confirmed him the winner by 67 votes across the district. But the results have been challenged in federal court by Republican Challenger Nicole Ziccarelli, who claimed that 311 mail-in ballots that arrived at election offices on time were not dated by the voter and should be thrown out. At the state court level, the votes were allowed to be counted towards the final totals.
Senator Joe Pittman, who represents Indiana and Armstrong Counties along with parts of Butler and Westmoreland Counties, said that he feels that the rules set down need to be followed.
Pittman said that he felt that Ziccarelli has a legitimate claim to the senate seat.
There’s no timetable in place for how long the federal hearing will take or how long the PA senate will leave the 45th district seat vacant.
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