A redesigned form for the outside of mail-in ballot return envelopes in Pennsylvania has been implemented but has not eliminated voter errors in completing it accurately. As a result, some votes cast in the primary election will not be counted due to these inaccuracies.
The new design features separate spaces for the month, day, and the last two digits of the year, which voters must fill in. However, voters continue to make mistakes, particularly with the year.
Officials are monitoring the county-by-county vote count to assess the impact of the new design. While the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania reports that over 10,000 ballots were disqualified in 2022 solely due to the missing date issue, the state’s Secretary of State expresses optimism that the revised form will lead to fewer such errors.
Lycoming County, however, has not been following the state’s guidance to count ballots with reasonably interpretable dates. Election Director Forrest Lehman suggests that the new changes have not made a significant difference in reducing incorrect dates.
Berks County set aside 91 mail-in primary ballots for having incorrect return envelope dates, while Allegheny County received nearly 1,400 incorrect ballots. However, Allegheny began counting ballots without the ’24’ year designation after receiving guidance from the state.
The revised form was implemented after litigation over the validity of ballots arriving in envelopes without accurate, handwritten dates. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the date mandate last month, and the groups challenging the requirement are currently seeking a reconsideration by the full 3rd Circuit.
Despite the new form, older voters continue to be disproportionately affected by ballot disqualifications due to date errors. Democrats also use mail-in voting far more than Republicans in Pennsylvania.
