Pennsylvania's landmark voting law, Act 77, passed by a bipartisan effort in 2019, has been deemed unconstitutional by a state court. The law, which among other things, created permanent mail-in voting in the state, was challenged by Republican lawmakers in 2021.

Following the court's decision, the state immediately filed an appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, allowing the law to stay in effect until the appeals process has completed.

The 2020 Plot

As a swing state, Pennsylvania played a key role in the Trump administration's efforts to delegitimize the 2020 election and overturn the results. According to the New York Times, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri challenged the Pennsylvania electors during the official count on January 6, 2021, claiming that the state’s lawmakers had passed Act 77 “irregardless of what the Pennsylvania Constitution said.”

The Verdict

As new federal voting rights laws flounder in the Senate due to the filibuster, states are left to determine it much on their own. Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere will continue to fight for more restrictive voting laws, with little recourse for voters themselves.