Former president Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon that there had been “a lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia” throughout the day.

The origin of this “discourse” is unclear. Aside from a few small disruptions — typical of any big city Election Day — Republicans on the ground in Philadelphia said things were going well.

“We see things very well here,” said Vince Fenerty, chairman of the city’s Republican Party. “I haven’t heard of any complaints of people cheating in Philadelphia.”

Despite the former president’s claims – posted on Truth Social around 4:30 p.m. – Fenerty said voting operations went largely smoothly and he was pleased with signs of higher-than-expected turnout in neighborhoods with a strong Republican component.

Matt Wolfe, a Republican election lawyer, said he helped resolve an early morning dispute involving a Republican election inspector having access to a polling place. He involved the district attorney’s office and the problem was quickly resolved.

“It seems calmer than I expected,” Wolfe said. “It looks like a normal presidential election.”

» LEARN MORE: Pennsylvania voters cast their ballots in a tight and divisive presidential race; high participation but few problems reported

Republican lawyers ran a “war room” in a downtown hotel throughout the day Tuesday, tracking election-related issues from party lawyers in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Wolf said. An Inquirer reporter who visited the call center was refused an interview.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein was quick to refute Trump’s claims about X.

“This is yet another example of misinformation” the Republican official wrote.

“We have been in contact with the RNC and everyone who has received complaints throughout the day,” Bluestein told reporters during an impromptu news conference. “Everything was handled appropriately. We look forward to continuing to vote until 8 p.m. when the polls close.

In a statement, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said “there is no factual basis within law enforcement to support this wild allegation.”

“We have been receiving complaints and allegations of impropriety all day,” Krasner said. “If Donald J. Trump has facts to support his wild claims, we want them now. Right away. We are not holding our breath.

Election officials in Philadelphia and its counties reported relatively quiet election days, with occasional problems at polling places, including long lines in Villanova and polls opening late.

Philadelphia judge dismisses Trump campaign’s complaints over Democratic badges

As of Tuesday evening, only one issue had been raised in Philadelphia’s election court: a complaint from the Trump campaign that Democratic observers violated state guidelines by wearing party-identifying badges at polling places around the city – which a Philadelphia judge rejected.

At issue were the small 3.5-by-6-inch signs the party provided to its observers, which read “PA Dems” in quarter-inch type above the words “VOTE PROTECTION” in much larger characters.

Trump campaign attorney Linda Kerns described the badges as a clear example of “illegal electioneering” that runs counter to state guidelines prohibiting election workers or volunteer observers from wearing partisan gear. during the elections.

But Common Pleas Court Judge Michelle Hangley denied Kerns’ request to issue an order requiring Democrats to remove them.

She noted that the text identifying their party was likely too small for a voter to see and that no evidence had been presented that Democratic observers had approached voters or that voters had spotted party affiliation. small party printed on the badge.

An order banning them was unnecessary, Hangley said, and could be disruptive.

“It says PA Dems in letters so small that no one – unless they walked up to the observer and looked at them – could even see them,” the judge said. “I don’t think the guidelines were meant to apply to wearing this type of clothing, whether covered or too small to read.”

Still, GOP complaints about the badges cropped up across Pennsylvania throughout the day Tuesday.

An Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas judge issued an order barring Democratic poll watchers from wearing the regalia there. And Republicans have said they intend to appeal Hangley’s decision in Philadelphia.

“It’s prevalent throughout the city,” Kerns said. “They just want to be really disruptive and have a county in this Commonwealth where it’s acceptable to put the words ‘PA Dems’ on election workers and election observers.”

Guidelines issued by state elections officials prohibit poll observers from “engaging in election activities, while inside the polling place, which involves wearing clothing or accessories signifying their support for a candidate or party.”

But Marni Snyder, a lawyer representing Democrats in the Philadelphia court, argued that the badges did not violate those rules. They may have the party name on them, she said, but they were not disruptive or intended to persuade voters in elections.

Still, she said the party urged poll watchers at specific polling locations not to wear their badges inside after the GOP brought complaints to their attention.

“It’s not that bad,” Snyder said. “These are not things that are going to intimidate voters or upset them during the election. These are not things that can change anyone’s mind. This is not election campaigning.

In another case, in Delaware County, a person was arrested at an East Lansdowne polling place after, during a mental health episode, he attacked a poll worker, according to county election officials . Jim Allen, the county elections director, said there was no reason to believe the incident was politically motivated and the worker was not injured.

“Overall, on Election Day, everyone is happy and making their voices heard,” said Neil Makhija, a Democrat who chairs the Montgomery County Board of Elections. “It’s really what happens when a lot of people are unhappy with the outcome that worries me the most.”

At 7 a.m., Pennsylvania counties began processing mail-in ballots, opening envelopes, flattening the ballots and scanning them into machines (although they could only get the results The evening).

» LEARN MORE: Pennsylvania officials have begun processing mail-in ballots. Here’s what to expect for the rest of the day and night.

In all five Philadelphia counties, officials said the process was going smoothly. As of 3 p.m., Chester County had processed about 20,000 ballots, county spokeswoman Becky Brain said. And just before 5 p.m., Makhija said Montgomery County had processed about 80,000.