A federal judge has issued a ruling in a case involving undated mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania that is likely to have major implications for upcoming elections.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter in the case involving undated mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania has significant implications for upcoming elections. Baxter, appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2018 despite being a registered Democrat, ruled that Pennsylvania’s law mandating ballots to be dated or else they cannot be counted violates U.S. law, specifically the materiality provision of the Civil Rights Act.

The plaintiffs in Baxter’s case include the Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP and the Democratic Party’s campaign committees for U.S. House and Senate candidates. Their argument is based on the contention that not counting undated ballots would violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits the denial of the right to vote due to an error or omission if such error or omission is not material in determining qualification to vote.

This ruling comes amidst broader debates surrounding mail-in voting, primarily used by Democratic voters, and concerns over voter fraud. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to allow counting undated mail-in ballots in a contested Pennsylvania local election further fueled these debates, with implications for close races in the November midterm elections.

Cases regarding mail-in ballots have also emerged in other states, such as Wisconsin, where a judge rejected an attempt backed by Democrats to allow absentee ballots with incomplete witness addresses to be counted. This ruling was seen as a win for the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature and highlighted the ongoing legal battles surrounding mail-in voting regulations across the country.