A Pennsylvania state court has dismissed a Republican lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's mail-in voting law. This law, implemented in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent challenges to voting procedures, has been a frequent target of GOP criticism. The Republican lawmakers who filed the suit argued that previous court decisions regarding the law's requirement for handwritten dates on ballot envelopes had effectively invalidated the entire law. However, the Commonwealth Court disagreed, ruling unanimously that those prior decisions did not invalidate the dating provision and upholding the law. The ruling is a victory for Governor Josh Shapiro's administration and the Democratic party. The attorney representing the Republican lawmakers has indicated his intention to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, which has previously upheld the mail-in voting law in two separate instances.

Voters completing mail-in ballots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)