The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that counties cannot reject mail-in ballots due to missing or incorrect dates on the outer envelopes, citing this as a violation of the state constitution's elections clause. This 4-1 decision marks a significant victory for voting rights advocates, emphasizing that such procedural errors should not disenfranchise eligible voters. The ruling permanently enjoins the Pennsylvania Department of State and counties like Philadelphia and Allegheny from enforcing the dating requirement. Governor Josh Shapiro hailed the decision as a victory for fundamental voting rights. Officials had previously disqualified nearly 16,000 mail-in ballots for irregularities during April's primary election. This decision is expected to be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court, as it impacts the handling of mail-in ballots in the upcoming 2024 election.