An Ocean County voter holds her completed mail-in ballot November 5, 2012, in Toms River, New Jersey during a special early mail voting arrangement to allow citizens of the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to vote in person on short notice in the US national and local elections. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The state Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to force Pennsylvania elections officials to accept absentee or mail-in ballots as long as they are received within a week after the primary or general elections during the pandemic.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania, the Senior Law Center and several other parties filed the suit in late April, arguing that postal delays from the pandemic could cause ballots to be received too late to count.
However, the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf had argued against it, saying among other things that it would be unconstitutional because it would give different voters different deadlines.
Under a 2019 law, the deadline for county elections offices to receive absentee and mail-in ballots is currently 8 p.m., when polls close, on election day.
Pennsylvania’s primary was postponed until June 2 from April 28 because of the pandemic, and many, if not most, votes are expected to be cast by mail. Meanwhile, many counties are making plans to shrink the number of polling locations they would otherwise open because of the pandemic.
The state legalized mail-in ballots last fall and they will be used for the first time this year. Here is how to request a mail-in ballot, which voters must do by May 26.
