On January 17, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear Baxter v Philadelphia Board of Elections, 395 EAL 2024. This is the case over the validity of the law that says postal ballots are invalid if the voter either forgets to include the date on the outer envelope, or puts an incorrect date. The lower court had invalidated the law on the basis of the State Constitution’s provision that elections shall be “free and equal.”

No other state invalidates postal ballots for that reason. Generally states don’t even ask for a date on the outer envelope.

The New Jersey legislature is on the verge of increasing the petition requirements for candidates in both the general election and primary elections. The Chair of the Hudson County Republican Party here denounces that move.

On January 16, the U.S. Supreme Court asked for a response in Meadors v Erie County Board of Elections, 24-684. This is the challenge to the May petition deadline in New York for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. The Court asked for a response just two days after the defendant had said it didn’t plan to respond.

This is the second case related to minor parties and independent candidates in which the Court has asked for a response. The other, ironically, is also from New York, and concerns a discriminatory campaign finance law, which lets individuals give more to Democratic and Republican candidates than other candidates.