The decision is a defeat for the Republican Party, which had challenged a similar court decision in Pennsylvania, a state whose outcome could decide the election.
The United States Supreme Court ruled this Friday that the state of Pennsylvania must allow voters who send mail-in ballots considered defective to vote in person, reports the NBC. This decision represents a defeat for the Republican Party, which challenged a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which had ruled in the same direction.
For Pennsylvania voters who make any type of mistake in the way they prepare their mail-in ballots, this decision guarantees them a second chance to have their vote counted, this in a state where polls indicate a technical tie between the former president Donald Trump. and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Under Republicans’ interpretation, mail-in ballots that are not inserted in a secrecy envelope, are not dated, and are not signed by the voter should be considered invalid and the voter should not be allowed to attempt to vote again. An argument that the Supreme Court judges did not accept.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris tie in CNN and New York Times national polls
It is not yet known what impact this decision may have in Pennsylvania, since not all counties in this American state notify voters about irregular ballots that have been sent by mail. However, in its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Republican Party argued that “thousands” of votes could be at stake.
The decision is surprising, given that the Supreme Court has a majority of conservative justices. One of them, Samuel Alito, even wrote a brief voting statement, which was also signed by two other conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, justifying his position.
Source: Observadora
