RNC, PA GOP File Lawsuit to Uphold Undated Mail-in Ballot Law

Following a joint lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for planning to illegally accept undated mail-in ballots, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer, and PAGOP Chairman Lawrence Tabas released the following statement:

“As the Pennsylvania legislature and U.S. Supreme Court have made clear, undated mail-in ballots should not be counted. Republicans are holding Pennsylvania Democrats accountable for their brazen defiance of the Supreme Court and the rules duly set by the legislature. Pennsylvania Democrats have a history of election integrity failures and Pennsylvanians deserve better. This lawsuit is the latest step in Republican efforts to promote free, fair, and transparent elections in the Keystone State.”

Background:

·         The RNC, NRCC, Republican Party of Pennsylvania, and several concerned voters have sued Gov. Wolf’s administration in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to ensure that only lawfully cast mail ballots are counted.

·         Specifically, the lawsuit addresses the counting of mail ballots returned with undated envelopes and argues that they should not be counted because state law requires a voter to provide a date.  

·         The lawsuit also asks the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to, at a minimum, order counties to segregate undated or incorrectly dated ballots.

·         Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth, Leigh Chapman, has brazenly said she will ignore the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, which made clear that undated ballots should not be counted.  

·         The Pennsylvania Supreme Court concluded the dating requirement was mandatory in 2020, a ruling that they reaffirmed earlier this year.

·         Pennsylvania Democrats’ consistent disregard for the election rules set by the legislature has resulted in Pennsylvania being a national election administration laughingstock.

·         This is the second time in recent weeks that the RNC has brought litigation to remedy these types of issues. The RNC is involved in 71 cases of election integrity litigation in 20 states this cycle.

·         Read the full filing here.