PA Could Revise Date Requirements On Absentee, Mail-In Ballots

PENNSYLVANIA — Citing confusion, uncertainty and distrust surrounding the use of absentee and mail-in ballots, state Sen. Jim Brewster is poised to introduce a bill eliminating the requirement that the outside envelope on such ballots require a handwritten date to be valid.

The Pittsburgh-area Democrat is suggesting that mail-in or absentee ballots should only be required by county board of elections to be received or postmarked by the date of the election to be counted.

Currently, absentee and mail-in ballots require voters to fill out, sign and date the return envelope that contains the ballot and secrecy envelope. But as Brewster noted in a statement, "No one has offered a viable reason why these ballots must be dated by the voter in order to be counted or why the postmark is insufficient evidence of timeliness."

Brewster's pending legislation comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court remanded a case to a federal district court that involved the dating issue on absentee and mail-in ballots. That move came after the state Commonwealth Court president judge issued a non-binding opinion on the issue.

"All of these pronouncements and procedures have only added confusion, uncertainty and distrust to the use of these valid methods of voting," Brewster said.

Brewster said his own election in 2020 was marred by partisan petitioning to state and federal courts to "wipe out the will of hundreds of voters whose minor errors the partisans said should disenfranchise them entirely."

He added: "The implications of the resulting court battle were dire, threatening to hold up state certification of the election which could have affected the presidential race and opened the door for more misinformation and meddling."

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