Federal Court Rules PA Mail-In Ballots Without Date Must Be Counted, Resolving Election Controversies

A federal court in Pennsylvania has ruled that mail-in ballots without a handwritten date or with an incorrect date on the return envelope must still be counted, stating that not doing so would violate the Civil Rights Act. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by voting rights advocacy organizations and individual voters, represented by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. The court deemed the handwritten-date requirement unnecessary, as election officials can determine if the ballot was received on time.