A major ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme court Friday could prove crucial in this year’s presidential election as mail-in ballots without the proper dates will not be counted.
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.
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.
Chairman Michael Whatley said the Friday ruling was a 'huge' win for election integrity. 'Following legal action from the RNC and @PAGOP , the PA Supreme Court REJECTED a Democrat attempt to count undated ballots,' Whatley wrote. 'This makes mail voting in the Keystone State less susceptible to fraud. We will keep fighting and winning!' Steve Loney, the senior supervising attorney for the ACLU in Pennsylvania, said the ruling was a setback for Pennsylvania voters.
The dissent by three other Democratic justices said the high court should have taken up the dispute. 'A prompt and definitive ruling on the constitutional question presented in this appeal is of paramount public importance inasmuch as it will affect the counting of ballots in the upcoming general election,' wrote Justice David Wecht. He and the two other dissenters would have ruled on the matter based on written briefs.
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