Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejects requirement to count incorrectly dated mail-in ballots

On a recent date, Pennsylvania's highest court made a decision regarding the counting of mail-in ballots in the state's two most populous counties. The court's ruling has significant implications for the upcoming general election.

Court's Ruling

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court invalidated a lower-court decision that mandated election officials to count valid mail-in ballots with incorrect or missing dates on the outer envelope. The court's order, which spanned only two pages, declined to address the merits of the case, stating that the lower court lacked jurisdiction as the lawsuit had not named all 67 counties as defendants.

Despite the ruling, there was dissent among three of the court's seven justices. They argued that the State Supreme Court should have utilized its special jurisdiction to resolve the case due to the paramount public importance of the date question.

Implications for the General Election

As a result of the court's ruling, state election officials will not be counting misdated or undated mail-in ballots in the upcoming general election unless further court intervention occurs before the election day on Nov. 5. The potential for a new lawsuit that addresses the jurisdiction issue remains uncertain.