Pa. lawmaker attacked for stolen vote story in support of voter ID

Democratic candidate Brian Munroe faces an uphill battle against Bucks County State Rep. Bernie O’Neill in his Bucks County district.

But Munroe thinks he’s found an issue since O’Neill backed off a story he told during the floor debate over the Pennsylvania voter ID law that his vote was once stolen by an impostor who might have been thwarted with an ID check.

In a recent interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the prime sponsor of the state’s controversial voter ID law, said it was needed to prevent instances of fraud such as that which had befallen O’Neill.

During the voter ID debate earlier this year, O’Neill said he’d once showed up at his Warminster polling place and found someone had already signed in and voted in his place.

After repeated calls about the incident, O’Neill changed his story, telling the Philadelphia Daily News there was once some confusion at his polling place, but that he’d been allowed to vote, and the problem was due to human error.

He said he’d felt pressured to tell the stolen vote story by fellow Republicans, and that he will correct the record when the Legislature returns this fall.

Munroe has been calling reporters to share some sharp words aimed at O’Neill.

“You either lied, or you were incompetent to the point that you didn’t have your facts straight,” Munroe said. “I would never lie on the Assembly floor, and would certainly be sure I had my facts straight before I went out there and made any statements.”

Munroe is a former police officer who has raised little money in his run against O’Neill, a 10-year incumbent.

O’Neill didn’t return several calls for comment.