The Pennsylvania GOP asked the state’s Supreme Court on Thursday to block counties from counting mail ballots with missing or incorrect dates, claiming some counties are disregarding prior court orders. Although the court mandated enforcement of handwritten date requirements before the election, it has not ruled on claims that the requirement violates the state constitution.
Several counties, including Philadelphia, Bucks, and Centre, began counting ballots with date issues, sparking new litigation. The Republican National Committee requested the court to prevent these counties from including the challenged ballots, with hundreds at stake in the closely watched Senate race between Sen. Bob Casey (D) and challenger David McCormick. McCormick currently leads by about 25,000 votes, but the margin could trigger a recount.
While McCormick did not directly join the GOP’s latest request, he has challenged Bucks County’s decision to count ballots with date problems, despite previously supporting counting similar ballots in his 2022 Senate primary. Casey’s campaign criticized McCormick’s shift, saying it aims to “disenfranchise” voters, while McCormick’s campaign accused Casey of attempting to “illegally count unregistered voters.”
County officials defending ballot inclusion argue that timestamped mail ballots show timely arrival. This ongoing litigation reflects Pennsylvania’s contested mail-ballot policies, with decisions split along party lines in counties such as Bucks and Philadelphia.
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