A political group supporting four Democratic candidates for the Perkiomen Valley School Board intentionally attempted to mislead Republican voters with a counterfeit Republican sample ballot
Blue Bell, PA, May 19th, 2025 —Montgomery County Republican Committee (MCRC) today announced that it has successfully secured a court order against Democrat PAC PV Forward after the PAC mailed a counterfeit Republican sample ballot in an effort to confuse Republican voters into voting for the Democratic-endorsed school board candidates. As a result of the order, the court enjoined PV Forward PAC from creating, producing, disseminating, distributing, or posting the ballot.
“Our legal action against PV Forward isn’t about politics — it’s about protecting free and fair elections,” said Christian Nascimento, Chairman at MCRC. “PV Forward intentionally attempted to mislead Republican voters. Their counterfeit ballots do not clearly disclose that they’re published by a Democrat-supportive PAC and create a false impression that the listed candidates are endorsed by the Republican party.”
For decades, MCRC has produced green sample ballots, and voters have recognized this as the official party communication of the GOP-endorsed candidates. PV Forward mailed out a green ballot entitled “Perkiomen Valley Republican sample ballot” to Republican voters, primarily those who requested mail-in ballots, with the oval blackened for the Democratic-endorsed school board candidates.
Because school board candidates can “cross-file” in Pennsylvania, they can appear on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots. Unless voters conduct their own research, they won’t know the candidates highlighted on PV Forward’s ballot are actually endorsed by the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party.
The court order required PV Forward to mail a written notice to all recipients of the counterfeit sample ballot. That notice, in at least 10-point font, must read: ‘You may have received a previous mailer containing a sample ballot sent by PV Forward PAC. Please be aware that PV Forward PAC is not affiliated with the Montgomery County Republican Committee. The previous mailer was not authorized or endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Committee.’”
Also, the order states that PV Forward PAC is prohibited from creating, producing, disseminating, distributing, or posting any future sample ballots that are printed on green paper, contain the word “Republican,” or fail to clearly and conspicuously identify that the sample ballot is paid for by PV Forward PAC.
“Unfortunately, many Republican voters who already voted via mail-in ballots have learned they cast their votes for the wrong candidates, and nothing can be done to fix this,” said Nascimento. “All voters, regardless of party affiliation, deserve honesty and transparency from candidates running for office, particularly those running for school board. With this lawsuit, which is still ongoing, we aim to prevent this type of fraud from ever happening again in Montgomery County.”
About Montgomery County Republican Committee (MCRC)
The Montgomery County Republican Committee (MCRC) provides essential grassroots support to Republican candidates and elected officials at all levels of government. Composed of volunteers residing in Montgomery County, MCRC recruits and endorses candidates and helps lead campaigns while advancing Republican values like ensuring a more efficient government, building a strong military, and preserving our Constitution.