Election Integrity Win: Swing State Supreme Court Drops Huge Ruling, Making Top Democrat's Loss Even Worse

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Monday that counties in the state must exclude mail-in ballots that are incorrectly dated or otherwise violate state election laws.

The Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania GOP filed a lawsuit against all 67 county boards of elections to ensure compliance with the law.

At present, Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick leads Democratic incumbent Senator Bob Casey by about 17,000 votes.

Although the Associated Press and other outlets have projected McCormick as the winner, Casey has yet to concede the race.

In its decision, the state Supreme Court ordered all county election boards, “including the Boards of Elections in Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County, SHALL COMPLY with the prior rulings of this Court in which we have clarified that mail-in and absentee ballots that fail to comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Election Code … SHALL NOT BE COUNTED for purposes of the election held on November 5, 2024.”

According to Fox News, “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled before the election that mail ballots lacking formally required signatures or dates should not be included in official results.” However, election officials in counties such as Bucks, Montgomery, Centre, and Philadelphia have not adhered to the ruling.

Bucks and Montgomery counties neighbor Philadelphia County, the state’s Democratic stronghold.

The Associated Press reported that an automatic recount has been initiated since the race falls within the 0.5 percent margin between McCormick and Casey.

“Statewide, the number of mail-in ballots with wrong or missing dates on the return envelope could be in the thousands. However, most counties — including several heavily populated counties controlled by Democrats — didn’t count them,” the AP noted.

The report also stated, “Democrats cast more mail-in ballots than Republicans, and Democrats in the past have supported counting ballots that trip over what they view as meaningless clerical requirements in state law.”

Fox News reported that last week, Democratic Bucks County Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie voted to include ballots deemed illegal.

Ellis-Marseglia explained, “[P]recedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country. And people violate laws anytime they want. So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.”

After Monday’s ruling to disallow illegal ballots, the Pennsylvania Republican Party celebrated on X, stating, “Historic win for the PAGOP and voter confidence in Pennsylvania!”

NPR reported that the final results of the recount are expected by November 27.