UPDATED: 10/10/20, 10:55 a.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia judge has ruled against the Trump campaign, denying a request to put poll watchers in the city’s satellite election offices. He agreed with the city that the offices are not polling places.
The campaign said it will appeal the decision, calling the ruling "irresponsible."
Judge Gary Glazer said the offices don’t fit either the time or geographic limitations for polling places in the state election code — that is, on Election Day, in and for a specific voting district.
Nor, he said, are the functions of polling places performed there — no opening, counting or recording of ballots.
Thus, he said, allowing poll watchers where state law makes no provision for them would be “the worst sort of judicial activism… usurping the legislative function.”
The ruling is a victory for the city commissioners, who opened the offices to ease getting and returning mail-in ballots, in light of their unexpected popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reassure voters in light of the president’s repeated attacks on mail-in voting.
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The commissioners are allowing only voters conducting business inside the offices. They say they’re pleased with the decision and will welcome poll watchers on Election Day.
In the meantime, Glazer recommended that the campaign accept the commissioners’ offer to tour the officers, but not to linger.