In Sunday’s Post, Rep. Ted Budd elevated hypocrisy to new heights. He complained about Pennsylvania’s Electoral College voting system because its legislature made changes to allow more absentee voting and the courts extended the deadline for mail-in ballots. He conveniently forgot that similar rules were in place for his home state.

In June, the North Carolina legislature loosened rules regarding witness signatures on absentee ballots. In October, the 4th Circuit and then the Supreme Court approved the extension of the ballot deadline to nine days after the election. Why was Budd not criticizing officials closer to home on the House floor? Simple. North Carolina’s electoral votes went to Trump while Pennsylvania’s went to Biden. If Pennsylvania’s electoral votes were illegal and unconstitutional as Budd claims, shouldn’t he raise concerns about similar rules here?

The truth is that elections in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and throughout the United States were fair. Voting rules were determined in a decentralized, bipartisan system administered by local people. Budd should praise the fact that a record number of Americans expressed their right to vote instead of giving voice to a fictional conspiracy.

— Pete Prunkl

Salisbury