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Federal Judge Strikes Down Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot Date Requirement

Judge Susan Paradise Baxter ruled that invalidating ballots over envelope date errors violates constitutional voting rights, overturning a key Republican-backed policy.

Kyle Hallman, with Chester County Voter Services, organizes mail-in ballots to be sorted for the 2020 General Election in the United States, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in West Chester, Pa.
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter ruled that Pennsylvania election boards cannot reject mail-in ballots due to missing or incorrect dates on return envelopes.
  • The judge found the date requirement unconstitutional, citing violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments and the lack of evidence supporting its necessity.
  • The decision impacts all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, prohibiting enforcement of the date mandate, though appeals are expected.
  • The lawsuit was brought by a Pennsylvania voter and Democratic-aligned organizations, challenging the rule as an unjust barrier to voting.
  • The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is still deliberating a related case, leaving the broader legal battle over mail-in voting unresolved in this key battleground state.