WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up an appeal by civil and voting rights groups that sought to eliminate Pennsylvania’s mandate requiring a handwritten date on the outer envelope of mail-in ballots. The groups argued that the date requirement serves no practical purpose and has led to the disqualification of legitimate ballots, disproportionately affecting voters.
The justices turned away the case after the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rule, rejecting claims that it violated federal law designed to protect voters from having their ballots discarded over minor paperwork errors. The federal law in question prohibits the invalidation of ballots due to “non-material” errors that do not impact a voter’s eligibility.
In its 2024 decision, the 3rd Circuit acknowledged that the date requirement appeared to serve little practical function, as election officials do not use the date to determine whether a ballot was submitted on time. However, the court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s protections only apply to voter registration processes, not the specific conditions under which a ballot must be cast for it to be counted.
The mail-in ballot date requirement affects voters in Pennsylvania who vote by mail, stipulating that they place their secret ballot inside an outer return envelope that must be signed and dated. The plaintiffs, including the Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP and the ACLU, challenged the rule in 2022, arguing that it violated the Civil Rights Act’s provision against disqualifying ballots over non-material errors.
A federal judge initially sided with the plaintiffs, agreeing that the date requirement was irrelevant to determining voter qualifications or the timeliness of ballots. However, the 3rd Circuit reversed this decision, leading the plaintiffs to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In their filing, the plaintiffs argued that the rule has resulted in the “needless disenfranchisement” of thousands of voters, particularly seniors, during each election. With the rise of mail-in voting, they claimed, this requirement only adds to barriers faced by voters, without serving a legitimate purpose.
In defense of the rule, attorneys for the Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania Republican Party intervened in the case, urging the Court to reject the appeal. They argued that the envelope date requirement is a necessary safeguard to ensure the integrity of the election process and prevent fraud.
As Pennsylvania plays a crucial role in determining presidential elections, particularly in the highly contested 2024 race, this ruling adds another chapter to the ongoing debate over mail-in voting and election integrity.
