On Wednesday, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a ruling that may affect Pennsylvania, a swing state, as well as other swing states. This judgement is a significant triumph for Republicans who value voting integrity.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) won the case against the federal district court’s decision to overturn it and verify signatures for mail-in voting in Pennsylvania, a “crucial” state.
According to NPR, the case revolved around whether mail-in ballots that were mailed on time but either had an incorrect date or no date at all under the voter’s signature should be counted.
Democrats argued that the votes need to be counted because the Materiality Provision found in Section (a)(2)(B) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies in this particular situation.
If a “error or omission” on documentation “related to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting” is “not material in determining whether [an] individual is qualified” to vote, the Materiality Provision forbids denial of the right to vote.
The Materiality Provision “only prohibits immaterial requirements affecting the qualification and registration of a voter,” not other, more specific requirements for casting a ballot, according to the RNC, which in response claimed that enforcing the date requirement for a ballot “does not impinge on the right to vote,” as The Daily Wire reported.
In response to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley stated, “This is a crucial victory for election integrity and voter confidence in the Keystone State and nationwide.” This 3rd Circuit decision decisively rejects illegal attempts by left-wing groups to count mail ballots that are either undated or wrongly dated, allowing Pennsylvanians to have faith in the security of their ballots. In the months leading up to the 2024 election, Republicans will keep fighting and winning in federal courts around the nation for election integrity.
“The RNC, NRCC, and PAGOP secured a victory on this issue in front of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in November 2022,” the RNC statement continued. In November 2023, a federal district judge invalidated the dated signature requirement. After our appeal, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed with the RNC’s argument.
“This decision was made by three judges who were selected by Democrats, 2-1. The verdict, it continued, “represents a victory for mail ballot safeguards in a crucial swing state and will have far-reaching effects regarding left-wing attempts to weaponize the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act across the country.”
According to the statement, the party has filed 81 voter integrity lawsuits and legal proceedings in the current election cycle alone, and “more to come.”