PA Supreme Court hands down key mail-in ballot ruling ahead of November election

Last week saw the issuance of a potentially pivotal election integrity decision in what is sure to be a key swing state for the November presidential contest.

As Fox News reports, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Friday that mail-in ballots lacking accurate dates on their outer envelopes can and will be rejected and not counted in the final vote tally, an outcome that could help sink Democrats' chances of defeating former President Donald Trump.

Reversal issued by state's highest court

The Pennsylvania high court's decision works to reverse a lower court ruling that deemed the requirement of a date on mailed ballots to be unconstitutional.

It is worth noting, however, that the decision rendered Friday was one made on procedural grounds, as The Hill explained, with the majority of the panel's members determining that the court below simply did not have proper jurisdiction to rule in the matter, given that the case had not drawn in all 67 of the state's counties and only made reference to Philadelphia and Allegheny counties in the underlying complaint.

That finding, according to the state's highest court, rendered the prior stop on enforcement of the date requirement invalid.

Potentially pivotal electoral impact

According to NBC News, the impact on the presidential contest resulting from Friday's ruling could prove crucial, given Pennsylvania's status as a key swing state that could hand victory either to Republicans or Democrats.

Considering the comparatively small margin by which Joe Biden prevailed over Trump in 2020 -- approximately 82,000 votes in the Keystone State -- the high court's decision may be determinative this time around even if a small number of ballots are rejected as a result.

With Democrats tending to favor the use of mail-in voting more than Republicans, the Kamala Harris campaign could ultimately have more to lose in the wake of the decision.

Split reactions follow ruling

After the decision was handed down, a range of reactions began pouring in, with the Pennsylvania arm of the American Civil Liberties Union voicing its displeasure and referring to erroneously dated or undated ballot envelopes as “a common trivial error.”

Steve Loney, an attorney for the group, said, “Today's procedural ruling is a setback for Pennsylvania voters, but we will keep fighting for them. These eligible voters who got their ballots in on time should have their votes counted and voices heard.”

Loney added, “The fundamental right to vote is among the most precious rights we enjoy as Pennsylvanians, and it should take more than a trivial paperwork error to take it away.”

On the other side of the coin was Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, who remarked, “HUGE election integrity win in Pennsylvania,” but exactly how impactful the ruling will prove to be come Election Day is something that still remains to be seen.