A pivotal ruling by a Pennsylvania federal appeals court has established that mail-in ballots lacking accurate handwritten dates on their outer envelopes will be deemed invalid. This decision, delivered by a 2-1 vote, overturns a previous ruling by a lower court which had allowed for the counting of undated mail-in ballots if they were received by the deadline. The appeals court’s ruling underscores the mandatory nature of this dating requirement as stipulated by Pennsylvania law, emphasizing that failure to comply with this rule renders a ballot invalid.
This legal development is significant in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state in U.S. elections, where the practice of mail-in voting has been embraced more broadly by Democrats than Republicans. The law, passed by the state legislature in 2019, mandates voters to complete, date, and sign a declaration on their mail ballot envelopes. The court’s decision highlights the tension between efforts to ensure election integrity and concerns that such requirements may disenfranchise voters over technical errors.
The ruling has sparked a mix of reactions. Proponents of stricter voting requirements herald it as a victory for election integrity, asserting that it bolsters voter confidence in the electoral process. Meanwhile, critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, argue that the decision could lead to thousands of eligible voters’ ballots being discarded over what they see as inconsequential paperwork mistakes.
The implications of this ruling extend beyond the legal realm into the political, potentially affecting the way mail-in voting is conducted and perceived in Pennsylvania and possibly influencing future elections in the state. With more than 7,600 mailed ballots disqualified in the 2022 midterms across 12 counties due to missing or incorrect dates, the enforcement of this requirement underscores the ongoing debate around voting procedures and their impact on voter participation and election outcomes.