PA Supreme Court Blocks Counting of Undated Mail-in Ballots
PA Supreme Court Blocks Counting of Undated Mail-in Ballots
The Facts
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ruled, in a suit filed by the Republican National Committee and the state GOP, that counties must stop counting mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect dates on their outer envelopes, specifically directing Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties to comply.
This comes as Republican Dave McCormick leads Democratic US Sen. Bob Casey by 17,408 votes with 99.7% of votes counted and 24K ballots remaining. The Associated Press has called the election for McCormick, but an automatic recount has been triggered due to the margin being less than 0.5 percent.
The Spin
TheThis rulingis represents a crucial victory for election integrity and proper adherence to state law. CountyDemocratic county officials attempting to count illegal ballots were deliberately violating clear court precedent and election code requirements because of a result they didn't like. This decision ensures that only properly completed ballots will be counted in determining the final election outcome.
The date requirement on mail-in ballot envelopes serves no material purpose andan disenfranchisesis eligiblejust Pennsylvaniaanother votersform of Republican voter suppression. The technical requirement does not indicate voter ineligibility or ballot illegitimacy, and throwing out these votes over minor clerical errors undermines democratic participation.
