Democratic nominee Joe Biden faces fresh challenges in Pennsylvania after the state Supreme Court ordered county elections officials to throw out mail-in ballots that are not submitted inside sealed “secrecy” envelopes.
High percentages of Pennsylvania Democrats are expected to vote by mail to avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus, and party officials worry the high court’s ruling excluding “naked” ballots not submitted in the secrecy envelope could cost Biden thousands of votes. With this decision, voting by mail in Pennsylvania is a multistep process. The secrecy envelope must be sealed inside an outer envelope for mailing or drop-off.
Republicans are more likely to pull the lever in person, putting President Trump at less risk of having his votes tossed because of incorrectly mailed ballots.
If the race for Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes ends in a photo finish, this dynamic could lend Trump a key advantage over Biden in a state that could decide the winner of the presidential contest. Four years ago, Trump won there by a slim 0.7 percentage points.
“I’ve got concerns that if you’ve got one side that will utilize the mail-in ballot in a higher frequency, that obviously concerns me because people may skip that step,” said Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat and Biden campaign lieutenant in the state. “It will require a lot of education and a lot of reminders.”
During Pennsylvania’s June primary, some counties counted “naked” ballots, while some did not.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party sued to force all counties to tally mail-in ballots submitted without the secrecy envelope, but the majority-liberal state Supreme Court ruled for the Republicans. However, the high court sided with the Democrats on two other issues they brought before the bench relating to the Nov. 3 elections: allowing ballot drop boxes and extending until Nov. 6 the deadline for mail-in votes to be counted if postmarked by Election Day.
To avoid squandering votes, the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have embarked on a major voter education effort. On Thursday, the DNC launched a digital advertising campaign in Pennsylvania with a step-by-step, 30-second video explaining how to avoid naked ballots. The national party and the Biden campaign also plan several voter-education seminars. Democratic operatives are optimistic the effort will succeed.
Democratic voters are paying attention, said Larry Ceisler, a party strategist in Pennsylvania. “There is a focus on getting it right.”
Even as Democrats fret about worst-case scenarios with naked ballots, Republican operatives in Pennsylvania are treating the issue cautiously.
Some Republicans say that it is possible more Democrats might vote in person than originally thought, citing an increase in people venturing out in public in recent weeks after months of isolation and lockdown because of the pandemic.
“It may be true that this could impact Democrats more than Republicans because more Democrats will vote by mail,” said Charlie Gerow, a GOP operative in Pennsylvania. “But both Republicans and Democrats will have to deal with the same requirement, which happens to be a very important one.”
Biden leads Trump by an average of 4.3 points in the state in recent polling, a margin that leaves the president within striking distance.
