A poll worker is appealing her removal as judge of elections in Moscow Borough by a Lackawanna County judge during the May 19 primary election for “misconduct” of trying to influence voters and their confidence in the voting system and procedures.
County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle removed Teresa Ripley as a judge of elections in the borough’s sole polling place and also required Ripley to leave the premises, according to the order filed in Lackawanna County Court at 2:41 p.m. on May 19, which was primary election day.
Moyle removed Ripley from office “after careful consideration of the information received regarding the Judge of Elections in Moscow Ward-0 Precinct-0 namely, inappropriate behavior and misconduct towards potential voters and Election Board Members, including verbally attempting to influence voters inside the polling place and attempting to sway their confidence in the voting equipment and voting procedures required by law to be followed,” according to that order.
Moyle’s order on May 19 removing Ripley from office also appointed Kimberly Bochicchio as the judge of elections at the polling place. Bochicchio initially was the majority inspector there on primary election day.
In a separate order issued June 3, Lackawanna County Judge Frank Ruggiero upheld Moyle’s removal of Ripley as judge of elections. Ruggiero’s decision that Moyle’s removal order “shall remain in full force and effect” came after a hearing that day attended by the following: Ripley and her husband, Keith Ripley; Lackawanna County Solicitor Christopher Caputo; Lackawanna County Board of Elections Solicitor Anthony Lomma; and Lackawanna County Republican Party Chairman Daniel Naylor.
On June 8, Ripley filed in county court a notice of appeal to state Superior Court challenging her removal as judge of elections in Moscow, according to the nonprofit Public Interest Legal Foundation which is representing her in the appeal.
The notice of appeal, which was released publicly by the foundation and prepared by foundation attorney Linda Kerns of Philadelphia, “informs the court that no transcript exists because the Court (Judge Moyle) did not hold a hearing prior to entering the May 19, 2026 order.”
In a June 8 statement about the appeal, the foundation said Ripley “was not notified beforehand of her removal and she did not have an opportunity to defend herself before police vacated her from the polling place.”
“As an elected civil officer, Ripley was guaranteed due process protections from the Pennsylvania Constitution. Without Ripley’s knowledge, Judge Moyle replaced her with another election worker,” the foundation said.
The foundation statement also said: “Pennsylvania is the only state to still populate core poll worker roles with elections, as opposed to temporary employment contracts or volunteers. Each of Pennsylvania’s 9,000-plus precincts are chaired by an election judge ultimately responsible for maintaining order and timely reporting of results to county authorities on an election night. Majority and minority inspectors are also elected to manage voter check-ins and document verification.”
Ripley ran as a Republican in the November 2025 general election for judge of elections in Moscow, according to results of that election. Ripley, who was uncontested in that election, received 436 votes to win the polling-place post. There also were 74 write-in votes. She was elected to a four-year term, the foundation said.
“Due process and notice are cornerstones of the American system,” said foundation President J. Christian Adams. “The allocation or removal of power of an election official must follow established norms. The police hauling an official out is not normal.”
The foundation says it “assists states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections.”
According to an Associated Press article in July of 2024, the Public Interest Legal Foundation was among conservative groups that systematically attempted to challenge the legitimacy of large numbers of voter registrations across the country before the 2024 presidential election. That strategy was part of a wider effort raising questions about the integrity of the 2024 election as then-former President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed without evidence that his opponents are trying to cheat, according to that article.