By Luc Cohen
(Reuters) – Election officials in Pennsylvania will be able to notify voters of any errors in their mail-in ballots and let them make changes, the state Supreme Court ruled, a blow to Republicans who tried to block the practice in a state that is crucial for the elections. determine who will be the next American president.
In declining Saturday to hear a lawsuit brought by the Republican National Committee and its state affiliate challenging so-called notice and remedy procedures, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said the RNC brought the case too close to the Nov. 5 election, in which Republican former President Donald Trump against Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pennsylvania is one of seven key battleground states likely to influence the outcome of the Electoral College, which will determine the winner of the US presidential election on a state-by-state basis. Whichever candidate wins, Pennsylvania will receive 19 electoral votes, for a total of 270 needed for victory.
The case is one of more than 120 lawsuits involving the RNC in 26 states. Republicans say they are trying to restore confidence in elections by ensuring people don’t vote illegally, but some legal experts and voting rights groups argue the legal blitz is aimed at laying the groundwork to address potential losses and vote for the to suppress Democrats.
Republican pressure has produced some victories.
In another ruling on Saturday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by voting rights groups challenging a state requirement that mail-in ballots must bear the correct date in order to be counted. The court also said the case was brought too close to the upcoming elections.
The use of mail-in ballots has increased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump, who falsely claims his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election was marred by fraud, has criticized mail-in ballots as unreliable without evidence.
When the RNC asked the court on September 18 to block county election boards from changing the notice and cure procedures, the RNC argued that the state legislature had not given local governments the authority to adopt them to take.
In a September 20 lawsuit, the Democratic National Committee and its state affiliate argued that state election laws did indeed give local governments the authority to enact such measures, and said the ruling Republicans sought would bar local officials from participating of voters.
Harris campaign spokesman Charles Lutvak said in a statement that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision was “a victory not for Democrats but for our democracy.”
A spokesperson for the RNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Bill Berkrot)
