HARRISBURG (AP) – A federal judge says enforcing the requirement that PA mail-in ballots include an accurate exterior envelope date violates the federal Constitution. Judge Susan Paradise Baxter ruled Monday that election boards in PA’s 67 counties can’t invalidate mail-in ballots simply because they lack accurate, handwritten dates on their exterior return envelopes. It’s the latest in a long-running legal dispute over what is a small percentage of votes cast in the state. Baxter says there’s no compelling state interest that outweighs invalidating thousands of ballots. The envelope dates aren’t used to check whether votes are received on time. An appeal of the decision is expected.
