The Supreme Court has re-emphasised the enforcement of clear election laws. On Thursday, over conservative dissent, justices allowed the Federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals to order that Pennsylvania mail ballots counts that voters have neglected to date. What ballot requirement can a judge allow to proceed? Obviously we won’t be able to find out until after the November elections the lawyers are busy.
The legal dispute here involves the 2021 judicial race in Lehigh County. Republican David Ritter has a lead of 71 votes. There are 257 postal ballots that reached the deadline, yet voters submitted them without writing the date. Mr Ritter says matching them could turn the result upside down. Pennsylvania Supreme Court, no less, have ruled that undated ballots are invalid, because state law explicitly states that voters must “fill out, date and sign” the declaration.
opinion | Supreme Court mail-vote chaos
The Supreme Court has re-emphasised the enforcement of clear election laws. On Thursday, over conservative dissent, justices allowed the Federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals to order that Pennsylvania mail ballots counts that voters have neglected to date. What ballot requirement can a judge allow to proceed? Obviously we won’t be able to find out until after the November elections the lawyers are busy.
The legal dispute here involves the 2021 judicial race in Lehigh County. Republican David Ritter has a lead of 71 votes. There are 257 postal ballots that reached the deadline, yet voters submitted them without writing the date. Mr Ritter says matching them could turn the result upside down. Pennsylvania Supreme Court, no less, have ruled that undated ballots are invalid, because state law explicitly states that voters must “fill out, date and sign” the declaration.