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Declaring the results of statewide electoral contests in the 2020 general election to be in dispute, a group of House Republican lawmakers have announced their intention to introduce a resolution calling for Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to withdraw their certification of the Nov. 3 election results in the presidential and other statewide contests.

Citing what they described as election law compromises, irregularities and improprieties associated with mail-in balloting, pre-canvassing, and canvassing, the 26 lawmakers stated in a news release issued late Friday afternoon the issues raised about the election has “undermined our elector process and as a result we can not accept certification of the results in statewide races.”

The proposed resolution, if it gets introduced, has only a short life since the legislative session ends on Monday, Nov. 30. All pending bills and resolutions will die at its conclusion.

The resolution contradicts statements in October by two Republican state leaders, Sen. Jake Corman and Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, published in the Centre Daily Times. Corman is the Senate majority leader and Kerry Beninghoff is majority leader of the state House; both are from Centre County.

“The Pennsylvania General Assembly does not have and will not have a hand in choosing the state’s presidential electors or in deciding the outcome of the presidential election. To insinuate otherwise is to inappropriately set fear into the Pennsylvania electorate with an imaginary scenario not provided for anywhere in law — or in fact,” they wrote. “Pennsylvania law plainly says that the state’s electors are chosen only by the popular vote of the commonwealth’s voters.”

A spokesman for House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County, said Cutler was not involved in writing the resolution. Cutler also has not scheduled any session days to consider it before the session’s end.

A spokesman for Benninghoff repeated on Friday what his caucus leaders stated earlier: They are standing by tradition of the popular vote winner in the presidential race getting the electors.

On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf certified the election results showing President-elect Joe Biden won the state by more than 81,000 votes. Other statewide races resulted in Republican Auditor General candidate Timothy DeFoor and Republican state Treasurer candidate Stacy Garrity as the winner of their races while Democratic incumbent Josh Shapiro won his re-election bid as attorney general.

Even though two of the three GOP candidates for statewide row offices were certified as the winners, the lawmakers say they and the selection of presidential electors for Biden should be withdrawn or vacated. The resolution also urges Congress to “declare the selection of presidential electors in this commonwealth to be in dispute.”

Concerns about the fairness and integrity of the election that the group of lawmakers raise in some of the 21 clauses in their resolution are similar to arguments raised by President Donald Trump’s legal team during a Senate Majority Policy Committee meeting on Wednesday at the Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg.

“It is absolutely imperative that we take these steps if we are to ensure public trust in our electoral system. Faith in government begins with faith in the elections which select that government,” the House GOP members’ news release states. “Just as Pennsylvania led the founding of our nation, Pennsylvania should also lead the way by making sure our commonwealth continues to stand as a keystone in our nation where free and fair elections are of paramount concern, no matter the final outcome of those elections.”

Those who have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution are: Reps. Russ Diamond, Eric Nelson, Paul Schemel, Greg Rothman, Frank Ryan, Dawn Keefer, Mike Jones, David Rowe, Michael Puskaric, Barbara Gleim, Bud Cook, Cris Dush, Stephanie Borowicz, David Zimmerman, Daryl Metcalfe, David Maloney, Dan Moul, Brad Roae, Kathy Rapp, Jim Cox, Rob Kauffman, Matthew Dowling, Eric Davanzo, Rich Irvin, Aaron Bernstine and Andrew Lewis.

State and local officials have consistently said there is no evidence of widespread fraud related to the election.

Trump has lost a string of legal challenges to the election results in Pennsylvania. The latest occurred Friday when a federal appeals court panel refused to block certification of Pennsylvania’s vote. Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote there is no proof to back his assertions that the 2020 presidential election was unfair.

“Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so,” Bibas wrote in the opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. “Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here. … The Campaign’s claims have no merit.” Bibas was nominated by Trump in 2017 to serve on the court.