Pennsylvania court rules against throwing out mail-in ballots

In a significant ruling, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania cannot be discarded due to minor errors on their return envelopes. This ruling, which took place in 2023, stems from a prolonged legal battle related to mail-in voting procedures that became especially contentious during the 2022 midterm elections. Many ballots had been rejected in the past because voters failed to properly handwrite the return date, resulting in the elimination of valid votes. This ruling has been described as pivotal for maintaining election integrity in the state. The panel addressing the case emphasized that thousands of ballots had been wrongly thrown out in previous elections simply based on clerical errors that did not affect the voter's intent. The decision garnered support from various groups advocating for voting rights, including the American Federation of Teachers and the League of Women Voters, who contend that such practices disenfranchise voters over trivial mistakes. Democratic leaders in Pennsylvania, like Governor Josh Shapiro, hailed this ruling as a step forward for democracy, arguing that rejecting ballots for