Pennsylvania voters’ absentee and mail-in ballots can still be counted by counties' Boards of Elections offices following a recent court ruling.
Two state lawmakers in January sued the state’s 67 county Boards of Elections and the state itself to challenge its 2019 mail-in voting law.
The lawsuit named Al Schmidt, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of State and all county board of elections offices as defendants.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismissed the case by state Reps. David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster, Berks counties) and Kathy Rapp (R-Crawford County) on Sept 25.
Act 77 of 2019 established mail-in voting in Pennsylvania. It allows voters to deposit ballots in drop boxes or mail them to their county’s Board of Elections office.
Zimmerman and Rapp argued the act violated the state Constitution by allowing election officials to canvass ballots, both mail-in and absentee, at county offices instead of the voter’s precinct. Canvassing is the act of counting the number of ballots, not how people voted.
The lawmakers appealed their case to the state Supreme Court on Aug. 26 after Commonwealth Court dismissed the case.
The PA supreme Court, dismissed it and told the two GOP congressmen to kick rocks fuckos.