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The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday unanimously ruled that Pennsylvania’s practice of rejecting mail-in ballots because of missing or incorrect dates on return envelopes is unconstitutional, according to a report published by The Associated Press.

The court reportedly upheld a federal judge’s earlier decision, asserting that discarding such ballots violates the fundamental right to vote. “We are unable to justify a practice that has resulted in the disqualification of thousands of presumably proper ballots,” the three-judge panel wrote in its 55-page opinion, per AP.

Date Rule Confuses Voters

According to the report, Pennsylvania law requires voters to handwrite the date on their return envelope, but many voters either leave it blank or mistakenly use the wrong date — like their birth date — which in turn leads to disqualifications. Courts have intervened multiple times in recent years, though higher courts, including the US Supreme Court, have sometimes reinstated the rule.

Democrats Back the Lawsuit, Republicans Oppose

The latest case, the report said, was brought by the American Federation of Teachers and the campaign arms of Democrats in both the House and Senate, supported by groups including the League of Women Voters, NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference, and Common Cause.

The Republican National Committee, Pennsylvania GOP, and the GOP’s House campaign arm were among those opposing the lawsuit.

Trump Continues to Slam Mail Voting

Mail-in voting has been a political flashpoint across the US since 2020. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that mail voting invites “MASSIVE FRAUD,” appears to have fuelled skepticism among Republican voters, analysts say.

What Happens Next?

For this decision to be overturned, the US Supreme Court would need to take up the case, a looming possibility given the repeated legal battles around mail ballot rules in Pennsylvania.

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