Well, howdy there internet people, it's Bell again.

So today, we're going to talk about Pennsylvania,

dates, votes, following instructions, and losing your voice.

The Supreme Court in the state of Pennsylvania has

ruled that mail-in ballots that have improperly dated envelopes don't have to be

counted in November. Reporting suggests this could impact around 10,000 ballots.

In what is currently expected to be a tight race in the swing state, this is a big development.

Not just because thousands of people might have their voice taken

away, but because the number of ballots tossed out might influence the outcome of the race,

and therefore influence who becomes president of the United States.

If you're voting by mail in Pennsylvania, your ability to successfully follow instructions

might decide who ends up on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The date on the envelopes are largely irrelevant to the counts,

but state law requires them.

Election officials log in and time stamp mail in ballots when they arrive.

The dates written by voters are not used to determine when they arrive.

An attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project said in a statement, quote,

this procedural ruling is a deeply unfortunate and unnecessary setback for

voters whose fundamental right to vote is at stake. It is time to end

once and for all the practice of disenfranchising thousands of eligible voters

based on a totally meaningless paperwork mistake. We will not stop

fighting to make sure that all votes are counted. The R&C Chairman Michael

...