The Supreme Court has declined to review a challenge by civil rights groups seeking to overturn Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot rule, which mandates a handwritten date on the outer envelope. These groups argued the requirement causes valid ballots to be disqualified, but the Court upheld a lower court’s decision.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled the date requirement, though unnecessary, is lawful. The plaintiffs, including the NAACP, contended it violated the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on disqualifying ballots due to paperwork errors.
However, Pennsylvania’s rule remains in place, impacting mail-in voters, especially seniors, potentially disenfranchising thousands in future elections. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently blocked efforts to count ballots not meeting legal standards in a close election.
