By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower court’s ruling from almost two weeks ago that had said the two most populous counties of the battleground state will not be able to throw out mail-in votes over incorrect envelope dates.
KEY QUOTES
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Friday ruling said Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania “lacked subject matter jurisdiction to review the matter,” according to a court filing.
The Republican Party welcomed the ruling. Voting rights advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union said they will look at pursuing additional legal options and said the ruling was a “setback for Pennsylvania voters.”
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Pennsylvania is a key battleground state in a tight presidential race for the Nov. 5 U.S. elections in which Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris faces Republican former President Donald Trump.
Battleground states are those where elections were won by a narrow margin of 3 percentage points or less in the last contest. Pennsylvania is one of seven such states.