Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot Ruling Could Cause 100,000 Ballots To Be Rejected, Official Warns

Topline

A Pennsylvania election official said Monday that the state’s recent ruling governing so-called “naked ballots”—mandating that any ballots that arrive without a proper envelope must be discounted—could cause more than 100,000 mail-in ballots to be rejected statewide and could swing the presidential election because of the Pennsylvania’s key role as a swing state.

Key Facts

Big Number

16. That’s the number of states that are required to use secrecy envelopes for absentee ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, while other states have different measures in place to ensure voters’ privacy as ballots are opened.

Crucial Quote

“I hope you consider this letter as me being a canary in the coalmine,” Deeley wrote, noting that the secrecy envelopes are “not a partisan issue.” “As public servants, we owe it to all citizens to avoid this situation, and the likely chaos that would come with it. Anyone who advocates doing nothing…in hopes that more Democratic ballots are thrown out than Republican ballots, is not being an effective policy maker.”

Key Background

The Pennsylvania lawsuit at the heart of Deeley’s letter is one of dozens of legal challenges nationwide targeting mail-in voting rules that the Trump campaign and RNC are involved with, as the RNC undertakes a $20 million legal effort challenging various election laws. GOP advisors are also anticipating a “weeks-long” legal fight in states after the election as votes are counted, the Washington Post reported in August. Along with the decision on secrecy envelopes, the recent Pennsylvania ruling also delivered a win to the GOP by prohibiting third parties from collecting and turning in mail-in ballots on behalf of others—a practice Trump and the GOP refer to as “ballot harvesting”—though the ruling also expanded voter access by extending the deadline by which ballots must be received.

Further Reading

How ‘naked ballots’ in Pennsylvania could cost Joe Biden the election (Philadelphia Inquirer)

A trio of Pennsylvania Supreme Court rulings will likely boost Biden against Trump in a key state (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Michigan Joins Other Key Swing States With More Time To Submit Mail-In Ballots, Courts Rule (Forbes)

Trump Campaign Now Suing Three States Over Mail-In Voting Expansion (Forbes)