Most experts agree that the 2024 election could come down to Pennsylvania, and a former ambassador says that state could ultimately be determined by two "crucial" legal cases.
Legal expert Norm Eisen, who worked in the White House as special counsel and special assistant to the president for ethics and government reform, wrote on Sunday that "the voices of voters must prevail" in the cases. The article was co-written by Kathy Boockvar, the president of Athena Strategies and former secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Eisen and Boockvar say that the two "cases remain active on appeal before the state Supreme Court that could help shape the 2024 election — and the future of voting in the commonwealth."
NOW READ: Signs of what will happen on Election Day are everywhere
"Pennsylvania is widely considered the tipping point state for the 2024 election. That is true both at the ballot box and in the courts. With court decisions in two consequential cases near, and still more litigation on the horizon, the state’s legal system will once again have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in ensuring every vote cast by eligible voters is counted," the article states. "Much like in 2020, we are confident the legal system will rise to the occasion."
The cases are both related to Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law. Eisen and Boockvar say Republicans brought numerous cases in their attempts to weaken the law and make it harder to take advantage of, and two important cases are still remaining.
"Though many of these cases have now been declined by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to be decided in advance of Election Day, two cases remain active on appeal that could help shape the 2024 election and the future of voting in Pennsylvania: Genser v. Butler County Board of Elections and Center for Coalfield Justice v. Washington County Board of Elections," the article states. It also says both cases are about mistakes on mail-in ballots, and whether voters get a chance to correct them or not.
Regarding Genser, the pair say, "the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Pennsylvania are appealing the appellate court’s determination that counties must count provisional ballots for voters whose mail ballots won’t be counted because of inconsequential procedural errors like omitting their secrecy envelope when they mail their ballot."
In the other case, known as Coalfield, they say, "The appellate court went even further, holding that a county’s failure to inform a voter of a disqualifying error violates the voter’s due process rights, and that counties must notify voters of such errors and provide them the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot."
According to the two writers, "Pennsylvania must prioritize the votes of eligible voters over immaterial mistakes — mistakes that may very well decide who occupies the Oval Office next year."
Eisen took to social media to warn about how consequential these cases are, saying, "The election in PA could come down to 2 crucial cases where the state’s supreme court will soon issue rulings."
"The court should reject MAGA hacks’ anti-voter ploys. Every eligible vote must be counted!" he added.
