Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules against effort to count mail-in ballots without handwritten date

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Friday that mail-in ballots without a handwritten date on them could not be counted in the 2024 election. 

The court sided with the GOP in the ruling, overturning a previous decision by a Commonwealth Court that stated requiring a handwritten date was unconstitutional. 

"This Court will neither impose nor countenance substantial alterations to existing laws and procedures during the pendency of an ongoing election," Justice Kevin Dougherty wrote in an opinion following the ruling, according to Fox News.

"We said those carefully chosen words only weeks ago. Yet they apparently were not heard in the Commonwealth Court, the very court where the bulk of election litigation unfolds," he continued. 

Pennsylvania Republicans praised the ruling, saying that the Supreme Court upheld the law. 

"Democrats have repeatedly tried to eliminate this important ballot safeguard, and we have stopped them each time," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. "We are committed to protecting critical ballot safeguards to ensure every ballot is cast and counted properly and will continue to fight across Pennsylvania to Protect the Vote."