The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has issued a 4-1 ruling that blocks the enforcement of a crucial law requiring election officials to reject mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect handwritten dates on their outer return envelopes.
The case, brought forward by a coalition of organizations including the Black Political Empowerment Project, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Common Cause Pennsylvania, challenged the legality of rejecting mail-in ballots solely based on the absence or inaccuracy of the handwritten date on the return envelope.
Judge Ellen Ceisler, writing for the court, said that the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional guarantee, and any restrictions placed upon this right must withstand strict scrutiny.
“The date on the outer mail-in ballot envelopes is not used to determine the timeliness of a ballot, a voter’s qualifications/eligibility to vote, or fraud. Therefore, the dating provisions serve no compelling government interest,” the court stated in its opinion.
Illegal !