A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that it was unconstitutional for Pennsylvania to not count mail-in ballots that did not have an accurate date on the return envelope.
The three-member panel in its 55-page opinion said they weighed the state’s interest in throwing out ballots against the constitutional right to vote, and said it was unable to justify the practice of discarding the ballots.
Under state law, Pennsylvanians are required to write the date on the return envelope for their ballot, but thousands of voters were confused by the request, might skip it or write another date.
The state and national Republican parties said they are considering the next steps in this case. For the ruling to be reversed, it would have to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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