Commonwealth Court Ruling on Vote-By-Mail – Statement of Common Cause Pennsylvania

Today’s ruling by the Commonwealth Court regarding the constitutionality of Act 77’s vote-by-mail provisions is deeply disappointing.

Act 77 was a bipartisan effort to ensure that every Pennsylvanian – regardless of race, zip code, or economic status – had an equal opportunity to cast a ballot. Millions of Pennsylvanians have voted with no-excuse vote-by-mail in a safe, secure, and accessible manner, and the results of those elections were appropriately audited and certified. 

The constitutionality of Act 77, including the vote-by-mail provisions, was already thoroughly tested and found valid by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2020.

We believe that this decision is wrong, and we hope and expect the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will take this important case up quickly so that elections officials, candidates, and, most importantly, voters, can have clarity regarding the voting process for the 2022 elections.