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Tioga County commissioners accuse pro-audit Sen. Doug Mastriano of grandstanding

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Tioga County commissioners are speaking out on the demands of a state lawmaker to turn over voting machines as part of an audit of the 2020 election.

In a prepared statement released to the Sun-Gazette, commissioners say they have “nothing to hide.”

The statement in part said, “The people of this county have nothing to hide, and Mr. (Sen. Doug) Mastriano knows it. In fact, the only one who has made himself scarce since he made this blunder without the authority of his committee or the Senate, is Doug Mastriano.”

Mastriano has also called for a forensic audit of York and Philadelphia counties, which also have not cooperated with his demands.

The statement goes on to say: “Senator Mastriano makes a lot of noise about auditing the elections, but his actual contributions have been to vastly expand mail-in voting and to ensure no county can provide access to its voting machines. Other Republicans are now scrambling to clean up his mess. Again. It is time for Sen. Mastriano to withdraw his demands, and to let responsible Republicans get back to work on subjects such as recovering from COVID-19; addressing the opioid crisis; and the ‘help wanted’ issue.”

When asked Tuesday, Commissioner Erick Coolidge accused Mastriano of engaging in politically motivated actions.

“He wants to be governor,” Coolidge said, calling for an apology. “He took a shot at our election office, and that office is run correctly.”

Coolidge said many people he’s talked to were embarrassed by the actions of those who staged a rally at the county courthouse last week calling for an audit of the election, adding many people are thanking the commissioners for working to avoid having the machines decertified.

Coolidge made it clear that county officials never said they would not turn over the machines.

“A subpoena will dictate what we will have to do within the law,” he said. “We just said we wouldn’t respond if it doesn’t adhere to the law.”

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