The decision could prove pivotal in the battleground state where 19 electoral college votes are up for grabs
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Friday that mail-in ballots without the correct dates on envelopes cannot be counted in elections, a decision which could prove crucial in this year’s presidential election where 19 electoral college votes are up for grabs.
The state’s high court ruled on procedural grounds, saying a lower court that found the mandate unenforceable should not have taken up the case because it did not draw in the election boards in all 67 counties. Left-leaning groups that filed the case only sued two of them, Philadelphia and Allegheny counties.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said the lower Commonwealth Court “lacked subject matter jurisdiction to review the matter,” according to a court filing.
Commonwealth Court two weeks ago halted enforcement of the handwritten dates on exterior envelopes. Friday’s ruling now means mail-in ballots must be properly dated in order to be counted enforceable.
The ruling was welcomed by Republicans as a victory for voter integrity in the hotly contested state, while voting rights advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union said they will look at pursuing additional legal options.
President Joe Biden won the state by more than 80,000 votes in 2020, and former President Trump and Vice-President Harris have been campaigning in the Keystone State this week.
Over 800,000 people requested mail ballots for April’s primary election where officials disqualified nearly 16,000 mail-in ballots for irregularities. Almost half were disqualified because of issues such as missing signatures and wrong dates on outer envelopes, according to the New York Times. About 75% of the mail-in ballots requested were made by Democrats.
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Approved ~ MJM
