Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration is preparing legal challenges to protect eligible ballots and planning for the possibility that federal officers could be deployed in the state as the Nov. 3 midterm election approaches. “We’ll be in court immediately to ensure all legal, eligible votes are counted,” Shapiro said Monday during an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board. He said he expects efforts to block some votes from being counted, particularly in close races. Four closely contested Pennsylvania congressional races could help determine which party controls the U.S. House. Shapiro, a Democrat seeking reelection, said his team has rehearsed responses to potential post-election disputes and possible delays in seating newly elected members. He predicted House Speaker Mike Johnson could face pressure to delay seating members if Republicans lose their majority, and said the state believes it has legal options to compel action. Shapiro pointed to his record as Pennsylvania attorney general during the 2020 election disputes, saying Trump and allies filed 43 lawsuits against the state and that he prevailed in each. Trump and his allies challenged President Joe Biden’s victory in numerous cases, making unsupported claims of widespread fraud. One case sought to invalidate 2.7 million Pennsylvania mail ballots; the U.S. Supreme Court rejected it. The governor also said he is “quite concerned” that President Donald Trump could send federal officials, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, into Pennsylvania communities. Shapiro said the state is especially prepared to respond in areas with immigrant communities. He did not point to an order for such a deployment, and federal officials have said ICE officers are not planned for patrol at polling places. Pennsylvania law bars law enforcement officers from entering polling places unless called to address a disturbance. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party says its voter-protection effort includes volunteer attorneys in every county on Election Day and a staffed hotline for voter assistance. The state Republican Party has urged voters to cast ballots through any legal method. Close contests can also prompt disputes over provisional ballots and recounts without a candidate seeking to overturn the result. In 2024, Democrat Bob Casey did not concede his U.S. Senate race to Republican Dave McCormick until provisional ballots had been reviewed and a statewide recount had begun; Casey conceded two weeks after Election Day.