These Pennsylvania counties notify voters of mail-in ballot mistakes
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Philadelphia is among the more than half of Pennsylvania counties that notify voters if they submit flawed mail-in ballots and let them correct the errors before polls close, per an ACLU analysis.
Why it matters: Thousands of mail-in ballots have been rejected for technical errors since Pennsylvania enacted mail-in voting in 2020. Those votes could be at risk in a battleground state with tight margins this presidential election.
The big picture: Because state law doesn't dictate specific "notice and cure" policies, each county operates under its own rules about whether to allow voters to correct ballots that aren't signed, dated or placed inside secrecy envelopes.
- Voting rights groups, including the ACLU of Pennsylvania, have fought to eliminate a requirement forcing state officials to reject improperly dated or undated mail-in ballots.
- But the state Supreme Court declined to weigh in on a case that could've decided the issue ahead of next month's election.
The intrigue: The rejection rate declines dramatically when counties notify voters and allow them to fix their errors, per a Spotlight PA analysis.
How it works: ACLU PA filed records requests with each county for its notice-and-cure policy and voter system data.
- All but a handful of counties turned over the information.
Zoom in: In Philadelphia, if you submit a mail-in ballot with a missing secrecy envelope or a mistake on the outer envelope, your name will be added to a list on the City Commissioners' website.
- You can follow these instructions to request a replacement ballot, or you can cast a provisional ballot at your precinct on Election Day.
- Polls close at 8pm on Nov. 5.
Zoom out: Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties all notify voters who make mistakes on their mail-in ballots and give them a chance to fix those issues so their votes are counted.
Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of Pennsylvania counties, including York and Schuylkill, still do not notify voters when there are problems with their ballots, per ACLU PA.
- The ACLU hopes holdout counties adopt more forgiving policies statewide.
BTW: All Pennsylvania early voters can check the status of their mail-in or absentee ballot on the Department of State website.
What we're watching: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will soon decide a case out of Washington County about whether election officials are required to notify voters when their mail-in ballots are disqualified.
- Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman told WPXI-TV that the county is looking for guidance from the state Supreme Court.
- "We are looking to follow the law that exists on the books," Sherman said.