Mail-in ballots have proved contentious since Pennsylvania widely expanded their use in a bipartisan 2019 election reform. Federal and state judges have ruled at various times that undated ballots should be counted, or should not be counted, while still trying to determine if the date requirement violates federal civil rights law.
On Tuesday, a court helped an 81-year-old homebound voter in Northampton County, Pruella Shook of Nazareth, ensure her undated ballot could be fixed and counted.
The case involved Shook, who late in life has taken to voting regularly, and a social media plea for help by a grassroots ballot group that led to a court order eventually giving the woman a new ballot.
Shook, who said she supported Democratic candidates, was initially notified by the county that she forgot to write the date on the outer envelope of her mail ballot.
As allowed under state law, and with help from the American Civil Liberties Union and the group Red Wine and Blue, both of which were helping “cure” ballots that were rejected, Shook was able to pick up an absentee ballot as a replacement, via a “designated agent.”
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