Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Undated Ballots Cannot Be Counted

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted a Republican request on Nov. 1 to clarify that undated mail-in ballots cannot be counted in the 2024 general election. The request was made in response to an appeals court ruling that the Philadelphia Board of Elections must count undated envelopes in a special election for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The state supreme court’s order granted a stay on the decision, specifically stating that it should not be applied to the November 5, 2024 General Election. The appeals court had previously ruled that refusing to count undated ballots violated the state constitution’s “free and equal elections clause.” The court argued that requiring dated ballots infringed on the fundamental right to vote without serving a compelling government interest. This case was one of several election-related cases in Pennsylvania leading up to the November elections, including a separate decision allowing voters to cast provisional ballots after improperly submitting mail-in ballots. Republicans also filed a lawsuit against Bucks County for turning away voters applying for mail-in ballots, which resulted in a preliminary injunction issued by a judge. Additionally, billionaire Elon Musk is facing a lawsuit from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner over an alleged “illegal lottery,” with the case being sent back to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas for further proceedings. Can you please rewrite this sentence?

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