Pennsylvania election officials announced on Wednesday a notable decrease in the number of mail-in ballots rejected due to technical errors, marking a significant achievement for their ongoing efforts to streamline the voting process.
Secretary of State Al Schmidt revealed that during last month’s primary, there was a 13.5% reduction in rejected mail-in ballots compared to the 2023 primaries. This decline was attributed to improvements in ballot design and enhanced voter instructions aimed at minimizing common mistakes.
The redesign of ballot envelopes and clear instructions proved effective, with fewer instances of voters incorrectly dating the outer envelope, forgetting to sign the return envelope, or neglecting to use the inner secrecy envelope.
Schmidt emphasized the importance of these measures in ensuring ballot integrity and expressed confidence in the data indicating a decline in rejection rates. He credited the success to the deliberate efforts of the State Department to address previous challenges.
The redesigned envelopes and instructions were implemented for the first time during last month’s primaries, allowing for a direct comparison to the 2023 primaries. Out of 714,133 mail-in ballots returned, only 7,906 were rejected due to technical issues related to dates, signatures, or envelope secrecy.
Pennsylvania’s expansion of mail-in voting in 2019 sparked legal battles over ballot validity, with ongoing federal lawsuits questioning the constitutionality of ballot rejection based on technicalities.
Despite progress in improving mail-in voting procedures, partisan disputes over election legislation persist, with Republicans advocating for stricter voter identification requirements and Democrats opposing such measures.
As Pennsylvania gears up for the presidential election in November, the success of mail-in voting initiatives will continue to be a focal point in ensuring fair and accessible elections for all citizens.”