Federal Court Rules Pennsylvania Must Stop Discarding Mail Ballots Over Harmless Date Errors

In a unanimous decision that holds profound implications for election integrity and voter rights, a federal appeals court has ruled that Pennsylvania may not discard mail-in ballots simply because voters made harmless mistakes writing the date on their return envelopes. This ruling rebukes an overzealous interpretation of election law that risks disenfranchising thousands of legitimate voters in one of America’s most politically pivotal states. Under current Pennsylvania regulations, voters must write the date on their ballot return envelope. Yet thousands — confused or unaware — omit this detail or mistakenly inscribe another date such as their birthdate. The court found...