Supreme Court allows Pennsylvania to count contested provisional ballots, rejecting Republican plea

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Supreme Court connected Friday rejected an emergency entreaty from Republicans that could person led to thousands of provisional ballots not being counted successful Pennsylvania.

The justices near successful spot a authorities Supreme Court ruling that elections officials must count provisional ballots formed by voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected.

As of Thursday, astir 9,000 ballots retired of much than 1.6 cardinal returned person arrived astatine elections offices astir Pennsylvania lacking a secrecy envelope, a signature aliases a date, according to authorities records.

Pennsylvania is nan biggest statesmanlike predetermination battleground this year, pinch 19 electoral votes. Former President Donald Trump won nan authorities successful 2016, past mislaid it successful 2020.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Voters successful a bellwether suburban Philadelphia region courted heavy by nan statesmanlike candidates had their past chance Friday to use for a mail-in ballot, arsenic a region clear crossed nan authorities gave voters who didn’t person their mail-in ballot different chance to get one.

A judge successful Erie County, successful Pennsylvania’s northwestern corner, ruled Friday successful a suit brought by nan Democratic Party that astir 15,000 group who applied for a message ballot but didn’t person it whitethorn spell to nan region elections agency and get a replacement done Monday.

The deadline to use for a mail-in ballot has passed successful Pennsylvania, nan biggest statesmanlike battleground this twelvemonth and a authorities that has hosted acold much visits by Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris than immoderate other.

The judge’s ruling intends that Erie County’s elections agency will beryllium unfastened each time done Monday for voters to spell in, cancel nan mail-in ballot they didn’t person successful nan mail, and get different 1 complete nan counter, said Cliff Levine, a lawyer for nan authorities Democratic Party.

In suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County, a tribunal group a deadline of 5 p.m. for voters location to use for and person a mail-in ballot.

Lines extracurricular nan county’s elections agency successful Doylestown were agelong passim nan time — snaking down nan sidewalk — pinch nan process taking astir 2 hours by Friday afternoon.

Nakesha McGuirk, 44, a Democrat from Bensalem, sized up nan statement and said: “I did not expect nan statement to beryllium this long. But I’m going to instrumentality it out.”

She faces a agelong activity commute adjacent week and worried astir her expertise to make it to nan polls connected Election Day. “I figured that alternatively than tally into nan consequence of not getting location successful clip to spell and vote, that it would beryllium amended to conscionable do it this measurement early,” said McGuirk, a Harris supporter.

Republican elector Patrick Lonieski, a Trump protagonist from Buckingham, besides recovered it much convenient pinch his activity schedule to ballot Friday successful a region he called “pivotal” to nan outcome.

“I conscionable want to make judge I get my ballot successful and it’s counted,” said Lonieski, 62, who was joined by his 18-year-old son, voting for nan first time.

The statement steadily dwindled arsenic 5 p.m. approached. One past straggler collapsed into a tally to make it by nan deadline arsenic elections workers cheerfully counted down nan seconds. “Let’s go! Hurry up! You tin do it!” a bystander yelled. People collapsed into applause arsenic she walked done nan doorway — conscionable successful time.

A Bucks County judge had ordered nan three-day hold successful consequence to a Trump run suit alleging that voters faced disenfranchisement erstwhile they were turned distant by region application-processing offices that had struggled to support up pinch demand, starring to vexation and anger among voters.

The Trump run suit said group who were successful statement by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline to use successful personification for a message ballot should person been allowed to get a ballot, moreover aft nan deadline. However, Bucks County’s predetermination agency denied voters that correct and ordered them to leave, nan suit said.

Bucks County Judge Jeffrey Trauger ruled that nan Board of Elections violated nan authorities predetermination codification and ordered an hold done Friday.

Unlike different states, Pennsylvania doesn’t person existent early in-person voting. Voters tin use early for message ballots online aliases successful personification astatine region predetermination buildings.

Doing truthful successful personification tin return astir 12 minutes and requires applying for a message ballot, waiting for a bar-coded letter cover to beryllium printed and then, if voters wish, they tin formed nan ballot connected nan spot. Or they tin put it successful a driblet container aliases a mailbox. Election offices must person nan ballots by 8 p.m. connected Tuesday.

No excuse mail-in voting is comparatively caller to Pennsylvania. The Legislature passed an description of nan believe successful 2019. In 2020, Trump — without immoderate grounds to backmost nan declare — said mail-in voting was rife pinch fraud, which discouraged galore Republicans from voting by mail. That’s changed this year, pinch Trump and billionaire business mogul Elon Musk endorsing nan practice and calling connected supporters to ballot early by mail.

Pennsylvania went narrowly for Trump successful 2016 earlier swinging to Democrat Joe Biden successful 2020. Bucks County backed Democrat Hillary Clinton by a azygous constituent successful 2016 earlier Biden widened nan Democratic lead to 5 points successful 2020.

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Associated Press newsman Marc Levy successful Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.