As Donald Trump and Republicans attempt to close the mail-in voting gap in perhaps the most consequential swing state of the 2024 election — Pennsylvania — the GOP is trying to encourage its supporters to use mail-in ballots while also trying to throw out some of those votes over what lawyers admit is an inconsequential paperwork error.
The debate centers around dates, specifically the tens of thousands of mail-in ballots that have gone uncounted for the last three years because of undated (or improperly dated) envelopes.
The dates on these envelopes don’t really serve a purpose. They aren’t used by election officials in any meaningful way. But if an envelope comes in without a date — or an incorrect date — the ballot is tossed aside.