Pennsylvania's 2-envelope mail-in ballot rule prompts fears of discarded 'naked' ballots, preventable 'chaos'

Pennsylvania mail-in ballot
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twiter/WTAE)

Voting experts and elections officials aren't worried about significant voting fraud from the increased use of mail-in ballots this pandemic-hit election, but user error is a real concern. And it's a growing concern in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that mail-in ballots received without a second "secrecy envelope" inside will be thrown out.

See more

The disqualification of these "naked ballots" will "cause electoral chaos, leading to tens of thousands of discarded votes" and "significant post-election legal controversy, the likes of which we have not seen since Florida in 2000," Philadelphia's top elections officials warned Monday. President Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes in 2016, and the state is so important this year, FiveThirtyEight says, "our model gives Trump an 84 percent chance of winning the presidency if he carries the state — and it gives [Demorat Joe] Biden a 96 percent chance of winning if Pennsylvania goes blue."

The disqualification of 100,000 or more "naked ballots" could tip the election. But voters worried they might have left out the secrecy envelope can track their mail-in ballot via a state website, votesPA.com/MailBallotStatus, to make sure it is counted or take remedial steps. Using both envelopes is not an onerous step if you know to take it, and the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office put out a short video to walk new (or experienced) mail-in voters through the steps (in English and Spanish).

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Stephen Colbert also has some key dates for voting in Pennsylvania — and every other state — on a new website, BetterKnowABallot.com.

Colbert's video doesn't include the two-envelope rule, so it's not clear how well he really knows Pennsylvania's ballot. But his site has links to every state's election site, in case you need to learn how, where, and when to cast your one precious vote.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.