Midterm Elections: Pennsylvania Senate Candidate John Fetterman Suing Over Mail-in Ballots

With the Republican efforts to block mail-in ballots and the Pennsylvania Senate race tightening for the midterm elections, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman has gone to a federal court to have mail-in ballots counted, even if they were not signed with a valid date.

One of the biggest voting disputes for the midterm elections is whether or not mailed ballots with incorrect or missing dates can be counted. The issue even divided the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which did not vote unanimously but still ordered counties not to count mailed ballots with missing or invalid dates on their outer envelopes, according to CNN.

Fetterman argued that not counting those votes is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law states that election officials cannot deny the right to vote based on a ballot with an error "not material" to determine whether the individual is qualified to vote under state election law.

Democrats Likely to Vote Via Mail-in Ballots During Midterm Elections

Misinformation surrounding mail-in ballots has been propagated by right-wing sources, most notably former President Donald Trump. This has led many in the Republican party to question the validity of early voting.

The Hill pointed out that Democrats traditionally vote early during the elections and vote by mail, while Republicans are more likely to vote on Election Day. Democrats argue that the tactics to suppress early voting by mail would not count valid votes for either party.

Nonetheless, Republican state law requires voters to write the date on their ballot's outer envelope. However, the complaint argued that rejecting ballots with the wrong date or no date at all also violates the First and 14th amendments to the Constitution.

The lawsuit argues that the date has no bearing on a voter's qualification and that the state law "serves no other purpose other than to erect barriers to qualified voters exercising their fundamental constitutional right to vote."

Following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling, state officials urged voters to reach out to their county election offices if they think they made a technical error on their ballot. However, officials also admitted that some counties were not allowing voters to correct their mistakes. Over a million mail-in and absentee ballots have already been cast in the state, which adopted no-excuse absentee voting in 2019.

John Fetterman Leading Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Early Results

The Senate elections of Pennsylvania are expected to be a tight one, even though Fetterman's opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has several controversies surrounding him, including the accusation that he is not really living in the state but is actually living in New Jersey.

Oz, a TV personality made famous by Oprah Winfrey, is also known for hawking false medical cures, as well as other controversies. However, the race remained tight as Fetterman struggled with health issues surrounding his recent stroke. Despite making his opponent famous, Oprah endorsed Fetterman.

However, according to the latest CNN results, 9:02 p.m. ET on November 8, Fetterman is leading with 72.1% of the votes, with 10% already accounted for.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Fetterman Campaign Asks Judge To Count Mail-In Ballots Regardless Of Marked Date - MSNBC