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Top Story
1. PA Supreme Court Again Rules That Philly and Other Counties Cannot Count Undated Mail Ballots
âThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday issued a ruling reiterating its previous stance that undated or misdated mail ballots should not be counted in the 2024 election, dealing a blow to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Caseyâs hopes that a recount and litigation will help him overcome his just over 17,000-vote deficit to Republican Dave McCormick as of Monday evening.
The 4-3 ruling, which was requested by the Republican Party and opposed by Caseyâs campaign, followed moves by elections officials in Democratic-controlled counties â including Philadelphia, Bucks, and Montgomery â to have the ballots counted despite the high court instructing them to exclude those votes earlier in the year. The ruling applies to all counties.â (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Elsewhere
PA Supreme Court Says Undated/ Incorrectly Dated Mail Ballots Shall Not Be Counted. âIn a 4-3 opinion, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled against county boards of elections counting undated or incorrectly dated mail ballots. The decision appears to be a victory for Republican Dave McCormick and a defeat for Democrat Bob Casey Jr. as a recount of the stateâs U.S. Senate race is underway.â (PoliticsPA)
- Bucks County, Others Can’t Count Votes Disputed In McCormick-Casey Race: PA Supreme Court. (Bucks County Courier Times)
- Bucks County Board Chair Says Comment About Violating Election Law Has Been Misinterpreted. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Top Democrat on Ethics Panel Says She Wants to Publish Gaetz Report. âRep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, said Monday, âIt should certainly be released to the Senate, and I think it should be released to the public, as we have done with many other investigative reports in the past,â she told a small group of reporters.â (POLITICO)
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State
2. How Tech Affected âThe Information Environmentâ of the 2024 Election
âAdvancements in AI technology, and the changing âinformation environmentâ undoubtedly influenced how campaigns operated and voters made decisions in the 2024 election, an elections and democracy expert said.
Technologists and election academics warned a few months ago that mis- and disinformation would play an even larger role in 2024 than in 2020 and 2016. What exactly that disinformation would look like became more clear in the two weeks leading up to the election, said Tim Harper, senior policy analyst for democracy and elections at the Center for Democracy and Technology.â (Penn Capital-Star)
Elsewhere
Ryan Mackenzie Prepares For Congress and U.S. Policy Shifts on Spending, Immigration, Energy. âThe Lehigh Valley’s newly elected congressman anticipates the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress will examine recent federal spending packages with an eye toward pulling back funding for projects and policies approved by the outgoing Biden administration.â (LehighValleyNews.com)
PA Lawmakers Say Candidates Choose to Pay $250 Late Fee to Avoid Revealing Donors. âA Department of State report shows sixty-six candidates for the state Legislature â including 22 incumbents â missed a deadline for filing campaign finance reports just before the Nov. 5 election, a dynamic that has sparked bipartisan condemnation and calls for bigger penalties.â (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
State Awards $5 Million In Grant Money For 11 Major Sporting Events Coming to PA. âTheâŻSportsâŻMarketingâŻand Tourism Program was created to attract high-quality, amateur, and professional sporting and e-sportsâŻevents to Pennsylvania.â (PennLive)
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Around The Commonwealth
3. Council President Joins Allentown Mayorâs Race Against Incumbent, Colleague
âJust like the adage says, the race for Allentown mayor is getting crowded.
City Council President Cynthia Mota is the third candidate to announce a campaign for the city governmentâs top job.
She joins Councilman Ed Zucal in trying to stop Mayor Matt Tuerk from claiming a second term in 2025.â (LehighValleyNews.com)
Elsewhere
Donald Trump Is Considering Two Billionaires With Strong Philly-Area Ties For His Treasury Secretary. Who Are They? âHoward Lutnick or Marc Rowan could oversee banks, money printing, and tax collection, along with making recommendations on trade and tax policy.â (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Innamorato and Older County Residents Defend Her Proposed Budget, Tax Increase. âGreater demand for services warrants $114M for older adults and caregivers and $64 million for DHS Area Agency on Aging, county executive says.â (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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Editorial
4. Whatâs On Your Mind
- We Must Value Democracy More Than Expediency. (Sen. Bob Casey)
- Say It Ainât So, Bob. (Larry Platt)
- Donât Ignore Election Day Interference. (York Dispatch)
- Time For Post-Election Sanity: Approve Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- A Worldview For the Highly Educated Helped the Democrats Lose. (David Brooks)
- Trump Elects New Age of Republicans to His Cabinet. (Noah Aberegg)
- Defund Public Education? Or Be True to Your Schools. (Richard Robinson)
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1 Thing
5. Why the Gettysburg Address Is One of the Most Famous Speeches in History
âOn the morning of November 19, 1863, approximately 15,000 people descended upon Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to officially dedicate its National Cemetery.
The cemeteryâs dedication ceremony had been delayed by a month out of deference to the schedule of the keynote speakerâcelebrated orator Edward Everett.
The world little noted nor long remembered Everettâs two-hour orationâexcept for its verbosity. By contrast, the 10-sentence speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln became perhaps the most famous in American history.â (History.com)
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One Response
PA Supreme Court decision to not count defective ballots is legally correct. But you have to question why there are so many traps built into the PA mail-in voting procedures. GOP legislature doing its best to suppress mail-in votes.