Judge Approves Signature Verification Requirement for Mail-In Ballots

(DailyVantage.com) – The Republican Party scored a win in its campaign against mail-in voting in the state of Pennsylvania after a judge ruled to include a “dated signature requirement” for votes sent in via mail.

A federal district court had previously struck down a ruling made by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that allowed for such a requirement. Still, it was eventually upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

In a statement, the Republican national committee lauded the decision, as they scored the Democrats and “left-wing attempts to weaponize” the Civil Rights Act’s Materiality Provision through the counting of “undated or incorrectly dated mail ballots.” The RNC also called the effort “unlawful.”

The Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act seeks to ensure that all qualified voters’ ballots are considered, in spite of errors of omission.

Democrats, who wanted the ballots counted, said that they were covered by the Materiality Clause. Still, Republicans countered that the clause only covers information and data that are “immaterial” to voter qualification and registration, not votes whose veracity and authenticity were questionable.

The signature requirement, the GOP said, would ensure better security for votes sent in through the mail. According to the RNC, through its new chairman, Michael Whatley, a victory “for mail ballot safeguards” is especially important in Pennsylvania as it is considered “a crucial swing state.” The RNC also noted that the decision to uphold the signature requirement was made by Democrat-appointed justices, who in turn ruled that the Materiality Clause “does not interfere” with the signature requirement for mail-in votes case in the Keystone State.

Mail-in voting has often been cited by prominent conservatives and Republicans as a weak link in the U.S. election system, which they say can be exploited for cheating. Controversial businessman Elon Musk, for example, put up a post on Twitter / X, showing a list of developed countries that have disallowed the use of mail-in voting due to purported vulnerabilities to fraud.