Court says mail-in ballot law in Pa. will be struck down in mid-March - WFMZ Allentown

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A date has been set - March 15 - to officially strike down the mail-in ballot law that was passed in 2019 with bi-partisan support that allowed any registered voter to vote by mail.

House Republicans have argued it's unconstitutional, and last month a Commonwealth Court judge ruled in their favor.

The March 15 date is one week after the State Supreme Court hears arguments on the appeal on March 8. Their ruling is the one that will ultimately decide the fate of mail-in voting.

Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt, who set the March 15 date, says Republican officeholders who challenged the law are likely to prevail in the highest court.

Terry Madonna, a political affairs professor at Millersville University, isn't so sure about that.

"The Supreme Court is heavily democratic, and the Commonwealth Court that struck it down is heavily Republican, and make no mistake, I would be surprised if the Supreme Court allows the law to be struck down," Madonna said.

Madonna also says the state's highest court can overrule the March 15 date.

"The Supreme Court can step in at any time and put that date, March 15, on hold," Madonna said.

Time is ticking.

Judge Leavitt says the mid-March date will help county boards of elections notify voters of any change in the law, as the May 17 primary looms.

"There needs to be this two-month period so if they're going to do mail-in voting they can get the mail-in process out," Madonna said.

The state Supreme Court will have the final say on whether or not mail-in voting without a reason continues.

"It needs to be resolved and it needs to be resolved quickly," Madonna said.

source: https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/court-says-mail-in-ballot-law-in-pa-will-be-struck-down-in-mid-march/article_b385d6a6-8f71-11ec-98bc-871855c31b73.html

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