Bucks County Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie issued the following statement regarding the resignation this week of Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar:
“Bucks County Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie have expressed their gratitude to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar for her leadership during the 2020 election cycles.
“With wisdom and a steady hand, Secretary Boockvar helped navigate 67 diverse counties through new laws effected via Act 77 and Act 12, including the first-ever mail-in ballot process in the state. Many of these counties, like Bucks, were introducing entirely new voting systems as well.
“These activities would have been Herculean during any typical year, but combined with the dynamics of COVID-19, Secretary Boockvar’s performance was phenomenal. Secretary Boockvar also weathered unfair allegations of voter fraud and lawsuits from the Trump campaign. She endured personal threats and outrageous accusations, but stood firm, truthful and loyal to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Commissioner Harvie, who chairs the Bucks County Board of Elections, said, “The guidance and assistance offered by Secretary Boockvar and her staff last year were invaluable. I don’t know how we could have conducted the election successfully without her.”
Marseglia added, “Bucks County reached out to the Secretary’s office for assistance many times, finding her level of involvement in resolving issues and directly answering questions to be unmatched. Each time, Secretary Boockvar assured the information was accurate and understood.”
Boockvar is a resident of Bucks County, and Marseglia and Harvie expressed pride that one of Bucks County’s citizens was selected for this important post and held it with “grace and judiciousness.”
Boockvar is leaving after three years following the Department of State’s failure to advertise a proposed constitutional amendment that would extend retroactively the timeline for victims to file civil actions against their abusers. Because of the error, the process to amend the constitution must now start from the beginning, unless the General Assembly pursues this initiative through the bill process.
