Voters in Philadelphia are afforded opportunities to cure their mail ballots, but voters in some rural counties are not allowed to fix errors on their mail ballots

(Alexandria, VA) – October 31, 2024: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in the Pennsylvania ballot curing case. Mail ballot curing policy is dependent on what county voters live in. The Foundation’s brief argues this violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Free and Equal Elections Clause.

Earlier this election season, the Foundation visited election offices around Pennsylvania to survey counties’ mail ballot curing policies. The investigation revealed that voters’ rights to cure their ballots depend solely on the county they live in.

For example, in some rural Pennsylvania counties, such as Westmoreland and Lancaster County, voters are not notified of mistakes and have no opportunity to cure their ballots.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia County, voters are notified of errors on their ballots by phone and on a website. Voters are given the opportunity to correct disqualifying errors in the elections office and are allowed to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day.

This differential treatment based on where voters live violates the Commonwealth’s Free and Equal Elections Clause.

“Pennsylvania mail ballot process has devolved into the Wild West,” said PILF’s Director of Communications, Lauren Bowman Bis. “Voters’ rights to cure mail ballots depend solely on what country they reside in. Treating voters differently based on what part of the state they live in violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Free and Equal Elections Clause.”

Read the full brief in Genser v. Butler County Board of Elections here.

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.

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For media inquiries, please reach out to Lbowman@publicinterestlegal.org