Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling/ provisional ballot counting/ mail-in ballot errors/ voting rights 2024/ Supreme Court Pennsylvania decision/ Newslooks/ DOYLESTOWN/ Pa./ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Supreme Court ruled in favor of counting provisional ballots in Pennsylvania for voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected, denying an emergency appeal from Republicans. This decision supports voting-rights advocates, emphasizing that every vote counts in the pivotal battleground state.
Supreme Court Ruling Allows Pennsylvania to Count Disputed Ballots: Quick Looks
- Court Ruling: Supreme Court rejected Republican appeal, allowing provisional ballots to be counted in Pennsylvania.
- Provisional Voting: Decision ensures voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected can vote provisionally on Election Day.
- State Importance: Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are highly influential, with a close race between Trump and Harris.
- Mail-In Issues: Over 9,000 Pennsylvania mail-in ballots had errors like missing signatures or dates.
- Other Rulings: State Supreme Court upheld restrictions on undated mail-in ballots, affecting thousands of votes.
SCOTUS Allows Pennsylvania to Count Contested Ballots, Rejects GOP Challenge
Deep Look
The Supreme Court issued a critical ruling Friday, denying an emergency appeal from Republicans that sought to prevent provisional ballots from being counted in Pennsylvania if the voter’s original mail-in ballot was rejected. This decision, a victory for voting-rights advocates, affirms that voters whose mail-in ballots contain errors—such as missing signatures or dates—can still vote provisionally on Election Day. As Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are expected to be pivotal in the close race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, this ruling underscores the importance of every vote.
Republicans had contested the use of provisional ballots for those with mail-in issues, arguing that errors should disqualify ballots. However, advocates argued that voters should not be disenfranchised due to minor mistakes. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision aligns with efforts to ensure that voters in both Republican- and Democrat-leaning counties are given the chance to vote provisionally, a move that could secure thousands of votes.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday comes as Pennsylvania has been a focal point of voting-related litigation over the past four years, with Republicans consistently pushing for stricter mail-in voting rules, which often affect Democratic voters. By Thursday, election officials in Pennsylvania reported approximately 9,000 mail-in ballots out of over 1.6 million returned were flagged for errors like lacking a secrecy envelope, signature, or date.
Additionally, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court issued a separate ruling, denying a request from voting-rights advocates to count mail-in ballots missing accurate handwritten dates on their outer envelopes. This ruling means thousands of ballots with minor discrepancies may remain uncounted unless future legal challenges alter the outcome.
In recent days, Pennsylvania’s election offices have been buzzing with activity as voters rush to address issues with their ballots and cast last-minute votes. Voters in Erie County, for instance, gained an extra opportunity to vote after a local judge ruled in favor of 15,000 voters who had applied for mail-in ballots but had not received them. These voters can visit the county elections office through Monday to cancel the original ballot and receive a replacement.
Meanwhile, in Bucks County, a suburban area near Philadelphia, voters faced a 5 p.m. deadline on Friday to receive mail-in ballots after a judge granted a three-day extension. This extension followed a Trump campaign lawsuit that claimed the county was improperly turning away voters. Voters waited in long lines to complete the process, with some describing the wait as necessary given their work schedules and concern over access on Election Day.
Nakesha McGuirk, a Harris supporter from Bensalem, explained her decision to vote early, citing her demanding work commute. “I didn’t want to risk not getting back in time on Election Day,” she said. For Trump supporter Patrick Lonieski from Buckingham, early voting offered similar convenience. Both recognized Bucks County as a pivotal region in a closely watched state race.
In Doylestown, the line remained steady as the evening deadline approached, with one last-minute voter sprinting to the door as the crowd cheered, helping her make the cutoff in the final moments.
The significance of Pennsylvania in the 2024 election cannot be overstated. In both 2016 and 2020, the state’s voters played a decisive role, swinging first for Trump and then for Biden. With polls again indicating a tight race, Pennsylvania’s voting rules and ballot counting are under intense scrutiny from both parties. Legal battles over mail-in voting, eligibility, and deadlines are likely to continue in the days following Election Day, particularly if the final vote count remains close.
Looking ahead, voting-rights lawyers like Witold Walczak from the ACLU of Pennsylvania predict additional court cases over mail-in ballot requirements and undated ballots. With provisional ballots now affirmed by the Supreme Court, the spotlight will remain on Pennsylvania’s handling of thousands of ballots that could ultimately influence the national outcome.
