The 'Most Secure Election Ever' Talking Point Just Got Shredded
TownhallFeb 11, 2022
SCOTUS Issues Stay on Counting Undated PA Mail-In Ballots
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Image copyright: Getty Images file [via NBC News]
The Facts
Justice Samuel Alito granted an administrative stay on Tues. halting the counting of mail-in ballots without dates in Pennsylvania. The state's GOP Senate primary is currently being recounted as Dr. Mehmet Oz and businessman David McCormick were separated by less than 1K votes.
Alito's order temporarily blocks a unanimous decision of a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, which ruled that mail-in votes without a handwritten date should be counted in a local judge's race in Lehigh County.
Although PA state law requires mail-in ballots to be filled out, dated and signed, the appeals court applied a provision of the Civil Rights Act, which states votes should be counted, even if they contain minor errors unrelated to voter eligibility, including leaving off the date.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Protecting election integrity is of the utmost importance and rules can't be changed in the midst of votes being counted. Counting undated mail-in ballots is clearly in violation of state law and previous court rulings, so they should be disqualified.
Democratic narrative
Amazingly, when a Republican is behind in a tight election he suddenly sees the value of mail-in ballots. The Republicans vilified mail-in voting when it didn't go their way in 2020, so it's rich to watch in-fighting over the matter in the party.
