Pennsylvania mail-in ballots don't need accurate envelope dates, federal judge rules
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Election boards in Pennsylvania's 67 counties may not invalidate mail-in ballots simply because they lack accurate, handwritten dates on their exterior return envelopes, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter, the latest in a long-running legal dispute over what is a small percentage of votes cast in the state, was issued more than two months after the state Supreme Court announced it also would consider the issue.
Baxter wrote that most counties did not try to argue that the exterior dates, which are not used to show whether a ballot was received in time, serve an important state interest in regulating elections. The Republican National Committee and one county, Berks, did argue the dates help combat voting fraud, Baxter wrote.
'Absent from the record, however, is any evidence demonstrating how this requirement furthers that purported interest,' the judge wrote. The exterior envelope dating mandate violates the U.S. Constitution, she ruled, by impairing the right to vote under the First and Fourteenth amendments.
Jeff Bukowski, Berks County's lawyer, said he will discuss a potential appeal with the county commissioners. Phone messages were left Monday with lawyers for the state and national Republican Party groups that intervened in the case and lost the ruling.
The voter and groups that sued, including Democratic campaign organizations and a teachers' union, called the exterior envelope dates 'nothing more than a 'compliance test'' to show how state voters ''can follow written instructions,'' Baxter said.
She ruled there is no state interest in requiring the signatures and noted that more than 10,000 votes statewide were invalidated as a result of the dating mandate in the 2022 election.
'Such disenfranchisement burdens the right to vote and there is no valid state interest to weigh this against,' Baxter wrote.
A decision by Baxter throwing out the envelope date mandate in a separate case was eventually reversed by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but it was decided on a different issue.
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Hamilton Spectator
24 minutes ago
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37 minutes ago
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'We've taken from the poor and we made the middle class foot the bill." Fulop, 47, declared his candidacy in 2023. He used that early advantage to outline proposals and plans on topics ranging from the state's transportation infrastructure to affordable housing and has laid out his policy for transparency in government. Before his election as mayor in 2013, Fulop spent nearly a decade on the City Council and was a U.S. Marine, serving in Iraq. He also worked for Goldman Sachs. Fulop has branded himself as an anti-establishment candidate, working to promote his own slate of Assembly candidates in concert with his own campaign. He hasn't shied away from criticizing the county organization system and did not participate in the county convention process. He has said he's running because as a mayor he has seen firsthand the challenges and obstacles created by Trenton. Fulop's priority would be to change the culture of boss politics that impedes progress in Trenton. 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The congressman has said he is running as the "Lower Taxes, Lower Costs Governor' because life is 'too damn expensive' in New Jersey. His priority is to 'bring down taxes and make life more affordable' by 'getting property and income taxes down, cutting bureaucracy, and making sure local businesses can afford to stay, grow and create more jobs in Jersey.' Gottheimer has said he wants to run a 'more efficient government.' 'We've got to make life more affordable. That means housing,' he said. 'We have to get child care costs down, and we've got to get property taxes down and deal with income taxes for the middle class." Sherrill, 52, lives in Montclair with her husband and four children. She was first elected to Congress in 2018. Before that, Sherrill served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy and worked as a federal prosecutor. Sherrill has built what has been perceived to be a front-runner status through taking a fairly traditional approach to gathering support from county party chairs and county conventions. Vowing to serve as a foil to the Trump administration, Sherrill has leaned into her military experience during this campaign, going so far as to wear her Navy flight jacket in the video distributed to announce her candidacy. 'In a crisis, the worst thing you can do is freeze. You have to choose to lead, to follow or get out of the way,' she said in the video after highlighting her military background. She has said she's running to bring a 'fresh perspective in Trenton' and that her first priorities would be addressing the cost of living and building more housing. When it comes to spending, she has said reforms are needed in the state system. 'We can't drive in more federal money. We've got to address the state budget system. We need more transparency,' Sherrill said. 'We have got to build houses and make New Jersey more affordable, housing more affordable." Spiller, 49, lives in Montclair. After just four years as Montclair's mayor, Spiller decided to forgo reelection in favor of pursuing higher office. He secured the backing of one of the state's most powerful labor unions, the New Jersey Education Association. He's also the union's president. While he points to some of the things he did in Montclair as ideas to spread statewide, his time in the township was not without issue. During a deposition in a lawsuit filed by a former employee against Montclair, Spiller invoked his Fifth Amendment right hundreds of times, refusing to answer any questions. Spiller has said he's running to give kids the future they deserve. His priority would also be to address the state's affordability crisis, and he said he wants to 'make this state a place where raising a family or starting a business is within reach for everyone — not just the wealthy.' When it comes to spending, Spiller has said the state often issues 'unfunded mandates' for municipalities. 'We have to look at more equitable ways to raise taxes as a state and use those taxes to support everyday residents," he said. Sweeney, 65, is a West Deptford resident and spent 20 years in the state Senate, 12 of them as president. He lost in a shocking upset in 2021. An ironworker by trade, Sweeney serves as general vice president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers. Like Fulop, Sweeney was poised for a run in 2017 but ultimately opted not to run and eventually endorsed Gov. Phil Murphy. He has said he decided to run because he understands how Trenton works and knows 'how to get things done.' Sweeney's first priority would be fixing the budget process. He has said he 'would be doing multiyear budgeting and consensus forecasting with the Legislature, which requires the governor to give up some power so that we can get accurate budget forecasts.' He would also focus on housing. NJ Primary Election 2025: Our complete guide to voting, governor candidates, local races Primary issues: How would New Jersey's candidates for governor tackle affordability? Washington looms: What's the top issue in the NJ gubernatorial primary? Donald Trump's agenda Advertising: How much are the 2025 candidates for New Jersey governor spending on television ads so far? Bramnick, 72, lives in Westfield and has served in the Legislature for more than two decades. He got his start in Trenton in 2003 as a member of the Assembly, where he served as Republican leader from 2012 until 2021, when he won the Senate seat he currently holds. The senator is an attorney at Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold and Mangan in Scotch Plains. He served on the City Council in Plainfield from 1984 to 1991. He was the first Republican to jump into the race. As a Never-Trump Republican, he has said more recently that he would work with the president in situations where it would benefit New Jersey and its residents. He entered the race to break up the 'Democrat monopoly New Jersey government has become' and to address high costs. Bramnick said his first priority is to create a government efficiency panel to 'examine every facet of our state government and find waste, overregulation and areas for improvement' as a way to 'make our state government smaller, more responsive, and provide savings and sustainable tax cuts.' The state senator has said New Jersey has corruption but believes it can be fixed. 'We have corruption in this state, so you need to appoint an attorney general who will make sure that he roots out corruption, same with the United States attorney, but this concept of 'deep state,' those are the kind of terms that you throw out there and what are you talking about?' he said. 'We have corruption and we need to address that, but 'deep state' because someone has been elected to the Legislature for a while, all of a sudden they are in the deep state. That's mythology that I think you hear on cable TV." Ciattarelli, 63, lives in Somerville. The former assemblyman made it clear he planned to run again after losing a closer-than-expected race to Murphy, the incumbent, in 2021. He served in the state Assembly from 2011 to 2018 and in county and local government before that. He lost in the 2017 primary to former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Ciattarelli is running because he wants to provide opportunities for future generations. He has said his priority would be to cap property taxes, reform the school funding formula, audit state spending to find significant cuts, repeal the sanctuary state directive that he said made New Jersey a magnet for undocumented immigrants, and push for term limits on state legislators to bring in fresh ideas and new blood. The former assemblyman has not shied away from embracing the Trump administration, something he did not do when Trump was running in 2015. He spoke personally with the president at Trump's Bedminster golf course and has echoed Trump's sentiments regarding immigration. 'Executive order No. 1, no town in this state will be a sanctuary city and we will not be a sanctuary state,' Ciattarelli said. Spadea, 55, lives in Princeton. His campaign drew some attention in the beginning when 101.5 and Townsquare Media chose to keep him on the air until he became a legally qualified candidate. Attorneys for Bramnick and Ciattarelli alleged that his show gave him an unfair advantage in campaign donations and contributions. He ultimately ended the show before any restrictions were implemented. Spadea said he's running to 'make New Jersey affordable again.' His first priority would be to 'immediately end the illegal immigration crisis.' 'We're going to rescind the 2018 executive order and get rid of the sanctuary state. We're going to rescind the 2019 Immigrant Trust Directive,' he said. 'We're going to issue a series of executive orders … to stop phase four of this high-density housing nonsense that is crushing our suburban communities." Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ governor election 2025: Who are the candidates?
