Pennsylvania voters dash to cast new ballots after GOP lawsuit disqualified thousands of votes
Last week, thousands of mail-in ballots were invalidated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Republicans suing to disqualify any ballots with missing or incorrect dates. Some voters throughout the critical swing state were left scrambling to cast a new vote in time for it to be counted on Election Day.
Critics believe the lawsuit, and others like it in key battleground states are part of a "concerted attempt at partisan voter suppression." Republicans in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin are pushing to disqualify a large number of mail-in ballots while encouraging their supporters to only vote in person, The Washington Post reports.
Republicans in Pennsylvania filed their lawsuit in October to reverse the previously-approved policy of counting votes with missing dates on the outer envelopes. The state Supreme Court ruled in their favor and ordered election officials to refrain from counting incorrectly dated mail-in ballots. As a result, thousands of ballots were set aside, which experts say could significantly affect Election Day vote counts, per the Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Experts view these lawsuits as parallel to the larger campaign waged by the GOP against alleged voter fraud over the past two years. Republicans are also encouraging GOP voters to cast their ballots in person. Critics insist that this is an attempt to separate the parties by voting method so that their lawsuits target votes that are mainly Democratic.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman and his camp have filed a countersuit to get the Supreme Court's decision reversed, per CNN.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Netherlands split on WFH for sex workers
Speed Read Councils concerned over 'nuisance' of at-home sex work, but others say changes will curb underground sex trade
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'He adored Trump, and then rejected him'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published