Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) praised the state court's ruling on Friday, saying it protects the voting rights of Keystone State residents.
A Commonwealth Court ruling eliminated the requirement that all mail-in ballots in the state have a handwritten date on the envelope; the original rule said that envelopes containing ballots with unclear dates would not be counted. Associated Press Reported.
“Failing to count undated or misdated but timely submitted mail-in ballots by otherwise eligible voters because of meaningless and inconsequential paperwork errors violates the fundamental right to vote,” Justice Ellen Theisler wrote in the majority opinion.
Shapiro, who was once Harris' running mate, praised the ruling but echoed Schiesler's comments.
“This decision is a victory for Pennsylvanians' fundamental right to vote,” he said. Written on Friday On social media platform X.
“The Commonwealth Court got it right — a voter making a minor error like forgetting to write the date on their ballot envelope or putting the wrong date on it is no reason to disenfranchise them,” the governor continued. “I will always defend the right to free, secure and fair elections.”
The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also hailed the ruling as a victory.
“Today's decision is a victory for voters and democracy,” Mike Lee, the group's executive director, said in a statement. statement“No one should lose their right to vote because of simple human error that has nothing to do with whether their ballot arrived on time.”
“This decision protects the votes of thousands of voters who make the same mistakes election after election, without undemocratic and punitive coercion by counties,” the group added.
Pennsylvania is one of several battleground states expected to be hotly contested during this year's election.
Harris currently leads former President Trump in the Keystone State by 1.2 percentage points (48.6 percent to 47.4 percent), according to The Hill/Decision Desk Election Tracking System. Harris surpassed Trump in the polls in early August, shortly after she rose to the top of the Democratic field after President Biden dropped out of the race.
