☁️ Good Morning Thursday. It’s the 45th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.

PA Weather
☀️ Beaver Falls | Sunny, 50
☁️ Montoursville | Cloudy, 53
☁️ Tobyhanna | Cloudy, 44

PA Sports
🏀 Sixers (39-34) | LA Clippers 107-108 | Fri vs. Cleveland
🏒 Flyers (36-27-10) | Thu vs. Montreal
🏒 Penguins (31-30-10) | Thu vs. Columbus
⚾ Pirates (0-0) | Thu vs. Miami
⚾ Phillies (0-0) | Fri vs. Atlanta

What We’re Hearing
“Frankly, Pennsylvania has some issues when it comes to things like recounts. It’s a very decentralized process,” said Derek Muller, election law professor at Notre Dame Law School. “It’s not an ideal situation to be resolving disputes on a statewide basis in a timely fashion.”

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Manuel Guzman Jr.

Pennsylvania Political Headlines In Your Inbox Daily
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Top Story

1. PA’s Mail-In Ballot Dating Rule Is Legal Under Civil Rights Law, Court Says

“A requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law, a federal appeals court panel said Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling.

A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes, a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election.

The total number is a small fraction of the large state’s electorate, but the court’s ruling puts additional attention on Pennsylvania’s election procedures ahead of a presidential election in which its Electoral College votes are up for grabs.” (AP)

Related

Casey Says Rights Are On The Line In 2024 Election. “Shortly after thanking dozens of trade union members and leaders for endorsing his reelection bid, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey stood near a wall-sized mural of an overall-clad working man gazing past the Pittsburgh skyline and concluded the 2024 election cycle could be summed up in one word: Rights.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Bob Casey’s Abortion Evolution. “Before the Dobbs decision, the senator had long considered himself a pro-life Democrat. That was then.” (National Review)

Legal Experts Worry About Presidential Abuse Of The Insurrection Act. Here’s Why. “They’re pushing Congress to update a cluster of laws known as the Insurrection Act and limit how the White House can deploy troops on American soil, in case a future president takes advantage of that sweeping power.” (WQLN)

Washington Notebook: New Third Party Kicks Off Statewide Campaign. “Also, Kelly pushes on proposed rule threatening Butler plant, Hillary Clinton to raise money for Pa. Dems, and McCormick goes to the mat in ad.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State

2. GOP Gaining Voter Registrations In Bucks, Montgomery Counties

“Are the demographics changing in Southeast Pennsylvania?

PoliticsPA looked at the latest voter registration data from the Department of State and based on the numbers alone, Republicans are making gains in the collar counties that have been a Democratic stronghold in recent years.

Since January, the GOP has gained nearly 28,000 new or changed registrations statewide to its ranks, while Democrats have picked up just shy of 3,800. The independent ranks have swelled by nearly four times that of Democrats at 13,600.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

‘Dark Money’ Groups Would Be Forced To Disclose How They Spend On PA’s Elections Under Advancing Bill. “One bill would require legislative candidates to more frequently disclose which people and groups donate to their campaigns, while another would require so-called “dark money” organizations to disclose when they spend money to influence the outcome of Pennsylvania elections.” (Spotlight PA)

Pennsylvania House Advances Measure To Prohibit ‘Ghost Guns’ “A proposal to ban the purchase, sale and production of untraceable gun parts passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Wednesday, with Democrats in the House using their majority to propel gun control after years of stagnation in a divided state government.” (AP)

Casey’s First Campaign TV Ad Touts Work On Bill To Help Veterans Exposed To Toxins. “Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey will hit TV today in Pennsylvania with his first campaign ad, which highlights his work to pass legislation that helps veterans exposed to burn pits and toxic substances.” (PennLive)

HD-103: Pennsylvania State House 103rd Democratic Debate. “The five Democrats running for the Pennsylvania State House 103rd District seat debated in the abc27 studio on Wednesday.” (abc27)

Around The Commonwealth

3. New U.S. Deadline For Certifying Election Results Adds To Pressure On Pennsylvania Officials

“After the 2022 elections, a flurry of precinct-level recount petitions prevented Pennsylvania from certifying its election results until Dec. 22 — weeks later than usual.

This year presents an even more difficult scenario: a new federal law that says states must certify their slate of presidential electoral votes by Dec. 11. That’s about five weeks after Election Day.” (Votebeat)

Related

PA Voter Registration and Election Management System Is Ready For 2024, Schmidt Tells Lawmakers. “After canceling a contract for a new system, the state has taken steps to ensure the reliability of the existing SURE system.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Andrew Yang Returns To Pennsylvania With Third-Party Candidates For Statewide Office. “Yang’s Forward Party seeks to gain permanent party status in PA, paving a way for Independents to escape the state’s “partisan gridlock.”” (Broad + Liberty)

GOP Lancaster County Commissioners Deny Connection Between Comments And Saturday Threats. “Lancaster County Commissioners Josh Parsons and Ray D’Agostino on Wednesday denied any responsibility for Saturday’s threats and evacuations in downtown Lancaster after listening to withering criticism from residents Wednesday.” (LNP)

Pribula Resigns As Luzerne County Republican Party Chair. “For two years, myself and my executive board have spent 90% of our time and resources fighting the 10% because their twisted beliefs run contrary to what our Republican Party stands for.” (Times Leader)

‘Ohio’s Chernobyl’ Still Wreaking Havoc in Pennsylvania. “More than a year beyond the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical burn that brought national attention to East Palestine, residents on the Ohio and Pennsylvania sides of the border feel abandoned, forgotten and discarded by legislators.” (The Center Square)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Across The Globe And Here At Home, A Free Press Often Comes At A Steep Cost. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• To Survive, Pittsburgh Public Must Close Schools. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Lessons Of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia And Baltimore Bridges. (Tribune-Review)
• Here’s A Political Version Of April Fools’ Day In PA. (John Baer)
• Third Parties Tend To Spoil Challengers Instead Of Incumbents. (John A. Tures)
• How To Make a School Board For All Students. (Sulaiman W. Rahman)
• Photo Voter ID Will Restore Election Integrity. (Lowman Henry)
• Jewish Voters Should Lead The Exodus From The Democratic Party. (Andy Bloom)

1 Thing

5. Punxsutawney Phil’s A Dad

“On Saturday, March 23, 2024, Dr. John Johnston, Punxsutawney Phil’s Chief Healthman, was filling in for his handler, A.J. Dereume who was out of town. As he was about to feed Phil and wife Phyllis, along came two other little heads that poked up in Phil’s Burrow: the world’s most famous groundhogs had babies.

“We’re pleased to announce that Punxsutawney Phil has had his first children; we believe there are two baby groundhogs and that Phil and Phyllis have started a family,” Tom Dunkel, Groundhog Club Inner Circle president, said. “We’re pleased about it, and I talked to Phil with my cane, which lets me speak Groundhogese, and Phil could not be more excited that he started a family.” (Punxsutawney Spirit)

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