On June 2, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that postal ballots in which the voter forgot to add the date next to the signature on the outer envelope should be counted. McCormick for U.S. Senate v Chapman, 286 MD 2022. The Commonwealth Court relied on both the state constitution and state election law precedents, and also on the “materiality” portion of the federal voting rights Act.
The decision was then sent to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is pondering the issue in a related case dating from a 2021 election. One can read the decision using this link, which is the message to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is wrong, wrong, wrong. If you don’t date your drivers license application or renewal its rejected. If you don’t date your mortgage application and agreement, it is rejected. If you don’t date your check, it might be rejected. And so on. This no date written is nothing but voter laziness and incompetence.
There is a date on every postal ballot. When the election administration receives the ballot, it stamps the envelope with a date-stamp.
There is no purpose for the hand-written date. I don’t know about all states, but here in California, the outer envelope doesn’t ask for the date. It just wants the signature, printed name, and address.
It’s not about the date on it or not. It’s about American voters needing to pay attention to directions on the absentee or mail-in ballot and follow them to a tee and stop being stupid and incompetent and the system being irresponsible and letting things slide for them.
I agree. Way too many stupid people are allowed to vote. We need to deport everyone who is here because of the 1965 immigration law, including stripping those who are citizens of their citizenship and repeal constitutional amendments that extended voting rights to DC residents, 18-20 year olds, females, non-whites and non-property owners.
Literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses would also help ensure a more knowledgeable electorate.