**Trump and Allies Raise Election Fraud Concerns in Pennsylvania, Echoing 2020**

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters are once again raising concerns about election fraud in Pennsylvania, a pivotal battleground state. They are pointing to routine election procedures, sharing videos, and initiating lawsuits to highlight supposed voting irregularities, despite reassurances from local election officials.

On Tuesday, videos circulated among Trump supporters showed lengthy queues in Bucks County, where voters waited to request mail ballots in person. James Blair, the Trump campaign political director, claimed on social media that a line had been prematurely shut down around 2:30 p.m., describing it as "suppressive and intimidating." This post attracted heightened attention when Elon Musk, the owner of X and a Trump supporter, questioned the incident, garnering 1.8 million views.

Pennsylvania’s voting system does not offer in-person early voting. Instead, voters can request, fill out, and return their mail ballots early at county election offices. Due to long lines, officials in Bucks County were closing lines midafternoon to ensure the office could close by 5 p.m. James O'Malley, a spokesman for Bucks County, emphasized that there is no legal requirement for county offices to remain open late for voters in line, unlike on Election Day.

Following a legal filing, a judge ruled on Wednesday that Bucks County had violated the law by not extending hours for in-person mail ballot applications. The judge decreed that such applications could continue until November 1. Despite some miscommunication with voters on the last day for mail-ballot applications, Bucks County allowed voters to submit their applications by 5 p.m.

Nate Persily, an election law expert and professor, noted that the Trump campaign appears to be laying the groundwork for contesting the election results if Vice President Kamala Harris wins. He remarked that similar tactics were used in 2020, with the campaign preparing the public for accusations of defective and corrupt elections.

Trump's campaign filed numerous lawsuits after the 2020 election, alleging a range of issues from dead voters to hacked voting machines. However, many of these lawsuits were dismissed, with courts often finding a lack of evidence.

In recent days, Trump has pointed to other incidents in Pennsylvania to bolster claims of election fraud. He has alleged thousands of fake ballots and fraudulent mail ballot applications in Lancaster and York Counties. While Lancaster County officials acknowledged hundreds of fraudulent voter registration applications, they noted that these were rejected. York County continues to review a large batch of applications but has not provided further details.

On Monday, RNC chairman Whatley shared a photo of a woman being arrested in Delaware County, claiming it was an instance of voter suppression. County officials clarified that the woman had been disruptive and attempting to influence voters, leading to her arrest.

Trump escalated his claims on Wednesday, stating on Truth Social that Pennsylvania was engaging in large-scale cheating and urging law enforcement to take immediate action. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro responded, assuring that the state would have a free and fair election, similar to four years ago, and that the will of the people would be respected.