HARRISBURG, Pa. — Here’s what you need to know about Pennsylvania elections on Oct. 17:
Another mail-in ballot lawsuit
The state and national Republican parties filed a lawsuit directly with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court seeking a ruling to invalidate mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect dates.
Legal action was expected after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous ruling that those ballots could not be counted last week. The ruling left the fate of undated ballots unclear.
Following the ruling, the Pennsylvania Department of State told county Boards of Elections to continue counting ballots with missing or incorrect dates, as well as ballots with tape on the inside or outside envelopes.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court does not need to take up the lawsuit, but if it does, its decision could affect the 1.2 million mail-in ballots requested as of Oct. 17. Nearly a quarter million have already been returned.
Disqualifying some mail-in ballots would likely benefit Republicans, as about three-quarters of voters requesting mail-in ballots are registered Democrats.
GOP strategists focus on Pa.
National GOP strategists are pinning their hopes to win back control of the Senate on Pennsylvania.
Barring an upset from polling in potential swing states such as Arizona or Colorado, Republicans need to win two more states in order to gain 51 seats in the Senate and thus the majority.
Recent FiveThirtyEight polls show a slight lead for Republicans in the Nevada Senate race, but significant losses in Georgia, where GOP candidate Herschel Walker is facing allegations that he paid for a woman’s abortion in 2009.
Pennsylvania Senate candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz are currently polling at a statistical tie, according to a new Trafalgar Group poll.
Democrats rally to boost voter turnout
Democratic candidates rallied the Latino community Sunday night in York as part of CASA in Action’s Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro spoke at the rally on the importance of getting out the vote, while Second Lady of Pennsylvania Giselle Fetterman, wife of Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, campaigned in favor of her husband’s immigration stances.
“John has always been a vocal supporter of immigration. He’s talked about it when it wasn’t popular. He’s always stood on the right side of history, and you can expect him to do the same in the Senate,” she said.
Deadlines
Some important dates to keep in mind:
Oct. 24: Last day to register to vote.
Nov. 1: Last day to request a mail-in ballot. You can apply online here.
Nov. 8: Election Day, and last-day ballots can arrive at county elections offices.
You can find more information on candidates, important dates and how to register to vote on our Election Guide page.