Current:Home > MyNew court challenge filed in Pennsylvania to prevent some mail-in ballots from getting thrown out-LoTradeCoin
New court challenge filed in Pennsylvania to prevent some mail-in ballots from getting thrown out
View Date:2024-12-23 19:47:13
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new lawsuit filed Tuesday by a constellation of left-leaning groups in Pennsylvania is trying to prevent thousands of mail-in ballots from being thrown out in November’s election in a battleground state that is expected to play a critical role in selecting a new president.
The lawsuit, filed in a state court, is the latest of perhaps a half-dozen cases to challenge a provision in Pennsylvania law that voters must write the date when they sign their mail-in ballot envelope.
Voters not understanding that provision has meant that tens of thousands of ballots have been thrown out since Pennsylvania dramatically expanded mail-in voting in a 2019 law.
The latest lawsuit says multiple courts have found that a voter-written date is meaningless in determining whether the ballot arrived on time or whether the voter is eligible. As a result, rejecting someone’s ballot either because it lacks a date or a correct date should violate the Pennsylvania Constitution’s free and equal elections clause, the 68-page lawsuit said.
“This lawsuit is the only one that is squarely addressing the constitutionality of disenfranchising voters under Pennsylvania’s Constitution,” said Marian Schneider, a lawyer in the case and senior policy counsel for voting rights for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
Enforcement of the dating provision resulted in at least 10,000 ballots getting thrown out in the 2022 mid-term election alone, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit names Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s top election official, as well as the election boards in Philadelphia and Allegheny County, both heavily Democratic jurisdictions.
However, Democrats have fought to undo the dating requirement, while Republicans in the past have fought in court to ensure that counties can and do throw out mail-in ballots that lack a complete or correct date.
Roughly three-fourths of mail-in ballots tend to be cast by Democrats in Pennsylvania, possibly the result of former President Donald Trump baselessly claiming that mail-in voting is rife with fraud.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Black Political Empowerment Project, POWER Interfaith, Make the Road Pennsylvania, OnePA Activists United, New PA Project Education Fund, Casa San José, Pittsburgh United, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause Pennsylvania.
Currently, a separate challenge to the date requirement is pending in federal court over whether it violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act or the constitution’s equal protection clause. In March, a divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the date requirement does not violate the civil rights law.
___
Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter
veryGood! (315)
Related
- Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says
- Inside the Coal War Games
- These $26 Amazon Flats Come in 31 Colors & Have 3,700+ Five-Star Reviews
- Inside the Coal War Games
- Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
- Major Corporations Quietly Reducing Emissions—and Saving Money
- Exxon Promises to Cut Methane Leaks from U.S. Shale Oil and Gas Operations
- Timeline: The Justice Department's prosecution of the Trump documents case
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- New lawsuit provides most detailed account to date of alleged Northwestern football hazing
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes
- ESPN's College Gameday will open 2023 college football season at battle of Carolinas
- Why the VA in Atlanta is throwing 'drive-through' baby showers for pregnant veterans
- Chris Christie: Trump knows he's in trouble in documents case, is his own worst enemy
- Glen Powell responds to rumor that he could replace Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'
- Panel at National Press Club Discusses Clean Break
- Small U.S. Solar Businesses Suffering from Tariffs on Imported Chinese Panels
- This GOP member is urging for action on gun control and abortion rights
Recommendation
-
Jessica Simpson’s Sister Ashlee Simpson Addresses Eric Johnson Breakup Speculation
-
Amazon has the Apple iPad for one of the lowest prices we've seen right now
-
Missing Titanic sub has less than 40 hours of breathable air left as U.S. Coast Guard search continues
-
Julia Fox Frees the Nipple in See-Through Glass Top at Cannes Film Festival 2023
-
Keke Palmer Says Ryan Murphy “Ripped” Into Her Over Scream Queens Schedule
-
What’s an Electric Car Champion Doing in Romney’s Inner Circle?
-
Knoxville has only one Black-owned radio station. The FCC is threatening its license.
-
Fishing crew denied $3.5 million prize after their 619-pound marlin is bitten by a shark