BALL v. CHAPMAN

No. 102 MM 2022.

289 A.3d 1 (2022)

David BALL, James D. Bee, Jesse D. Daniel, Gwendolyn Mae Deluca, Ross M. Farber, Lynn Marie Kalcevic, Vallerie Siciliano-Biancaniello, S. Michael Streib, Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and Republican Party of Pennsylvania, Petitioners v. Leigh M. CHAPMAN, in Her Official Capacity as Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth, and All 67 County Boards of Elections, Respondents.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Decided: November 1, 2022.

Opinion Filed: February 8, 2023.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Adam Craig Bonin, Esq. , for Amicus Curiae Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

Joel L. Frank, Esq. , for Amicus Curiae The Honest Elections Project.

Brian Patrick Gallagher, Esq. , for Amicus Curiae Bradford County Republican Committee and Friends of the Committee.

Jennifer L. Gilliland-Vanasdale, Esq. , Gilliland Vanasdale Sinatra Law Office, LLC, for Amicus Curiae Butler County Republican Committee.

Linda Ann Kerns, Esq. , Law Offices of Linda A. Kerns, LLC, for Amicus Curiae Lawyers Democracy Fund.

Curtis Michael Schube, Esq. , Dhillon Law Group, for Amici Curiae Citizens United, Citizens United Foundation, Presidential Coalition.

Witold J. Walczak, Esq. , American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, for Amici Curiae The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild, Black Political Empowerment Project, Common Cause Pennsylvania, Make the Road Pennsylvania, The NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference.

Zachary Michael Wallen, Esq. , Chalmers & Adams LLC, for Amici Curiae Bryan Cutler, Kerry Benninghoff, Jake Corman, Kim Ward, Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, Pennsylvania Senate Republican Caucus.

Walter S. Zimolong III, Esq. , Zimolong LLC, for Amicus Curiae Thomas More Society.

Adam Craig Bonin, Esq. , Justin Baxenberg, Esq. , Daniel Cohen, Esq. , Daniela Lorenzo, Esq. , Uzoma N. Nkwonta, Esq. , Elias Law Group, LLP, Daniel C. Osher, Esq. , for Intervenor Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

Adam Craig Bonin, Esq. , Peter Poggi Elliot, Esq. , Kevin Michael Greenberg, Esq. , Adam R. Roseman, Esq. , Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Clifford B. Levine, Esq. , Emma Frances Elizabeth Shoucair, Esq. , Alice Birmingham Mitinger, Esq. , Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, for Intervenor Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

Adam Craig Bonin, Esq. , Clifford B. Levine, Esq. , Alice Birmingham Mitinger, Esq. , Emma Frances Elizabeth Shoucair, Esq. , Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, for Intervenor Democratic National Committee.

Katheleen Marie Kotula, Esq. , Pennsylvania Department of State, for Participant Department of State.

Joshua D. Shapiro, Esq. , for Participant Office of Attorney General.

Thomas E. Breth, Esq. , Thomas W. King III, Esq. , Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham, LLP, Kathleen A. Gallagher, Esq. , Russell David Giancola, Esq. , Gallagher Giancola LLC, for Petitioners.

Brian Howard Benjet, Esq. , Ilana H. Eisenstein, Esq. , DLA Piper, Zachary Gene Strassburger, Esq. , City of Philadelphia, for Respondent Philadelphia County Board of Elections.

Jacob Biehl Boyer, Esq. , Michael John Fischer, Esq. , Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Carmen Iguina Gonzalez, Esq. , Elizabeth Pidcock Lester-Abdalla, Esq. , Joshua Matz, Esq. , Raymond P. Tolentino, Esq. , Robert Andrew Wiygul, Esq. , Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin & Schiller, for Respondent Acting Secretary Leigh M. Chapman.

Nicholas Michael Centrella Jr., Esq. , James Manly Parks, Esq. , Duane Morris LLP, for Respondent Delaware County Board of Elections.

Anthony V. Clarke, Esq. , for Respondent McKean County Board of Elections.

Joseph Matthias Cosgrove, Esq. , Selingo Guagliardo, LLC, for Respondent Luzerne County Board of Elections.

Casey Alan Coyle, Esq. , Elizabeth A. Dupuis, Esq. , Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, PC, Anna Skipper Jewart, Esq. , for Respondents Bedford County Board of Elections, Carbon County Board of Elections, Centre County Board of Elections, Columbia County Board of Elections, Dauphin County Board of Elections, Fayette County Board of Elections, Huntingdon County Board of Elections, Indiana County Board of Elections, Jefferson County Board of Elections, Lawrence County Board of Elections, Lebanon County Board of Elections, Northumberland County Board of Elections, Venango County Board of Elections, York County Board of Elections.

Matthew Robert Cravitz, Esq. , for Respondent Snyder County Board of Elections.

James V. Fareri, Esq. , McFall, Layman & Jordan, P.C., for Respondent Monroe County Board of Elections.

Jonathan Paul Foster, Esq. , Foster Law Office PLLC, for Respondent Bradford County Board of Elections.

Colleen Mary Frens, Esq. , Nicholas J. Stevens, Esq. , County of Chester, Faith Anne Mattox-Baldini, Esq. , Chester County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Chester County Board of Elections.

Christopher P. Furman, Esq. , for Respondents Clarion County Board of Elections, Susquehanna County Board of Elections, Tioga County Board of Elections.

Carmen Iguina Gonzalez, Esq. , Joshua Matz, Esq. , Raymond P. Tolentino, Esq. , Robert Andrew Wiygul, Esq. , Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin & Schiller, for Respondent Jessica Mathis.

Daniel Donovan Grieser, Esq. , Bucks County, Jessica L. VanderKam, Esq. , Stuckert and Yates, for Respondent Bucks County Board of Elections.

Robert Eugene Grimm, Esq. , for Respondent Greene County Board of Elections.

Melissa Ann Guiddy, Esq. , Westmoreland County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Westmoreland County Board of Elections.

Maureen E. Herron, Esq. , John Amos Marlatt, Esq. , Montgomery County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Montgomery County Board of Elections.

Jennifer B. Hipp, Esq. , Bogar & Hipp Law Offices, LLC, for Respondent Cumberland County Board of Elections.

George M. Janocsko, Esq. , Allegheny County Law Department, Lisa G. Michel, Esq. , Bacharach & Michel, Allan Joseph Opsitnick, Esq. , Opsitnick and Associates, for Respondent Allegheny County Board of Elections.

Nathan W. Karn, Esq. , for Respondent Blair County Board of Elections.

Cody Lee Kauffman, Esq. , Berks County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Berks County Board of Elections.

Frank J. Lavery Jr., Esq. , Lavery Law PC, Andrew W. Norfleet, Esq. , for Respondent Perry County Board of Elections.

Lauren Lynn Mathews, Esq. , Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, for Respondent Washington County Board of Elections.

Molly Ruth Mudd, Esq. , for Respondent Adams County Board of Elections.

Melvin Eugene Newcomer, Esq. , Kluxen, Newcomer & Dreisbach, for Respondent Lancaster County Board of Elections.

Catharine Meade Roseberry, Esq. , Lehigh County, for Respondent Lehigh County Board of Elections.

Andrew Joseph Sacco, Esq. , Steiner Sacco Law, for Respondent Armstrong County Board of Elections.

Nathaniel Justus Schmidt, Esq. , Warren County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Warren County Board of Elections.

Joseph David Smith, Esq. , McCormick Law Firm, for Respondent Lycoming County Board of Elections.

Elliott Bernard Sulcove, Esq. , for Respondent Franklin County Board of Elections.

H. William White III, Esq. , Butler County Solicitor's Office, for Respondent Butler County Board of Elections.

Donald Kenneth Zagurskie, Esq. , for Respondent Juniata County Board of Elections.

Beaver County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Cambria County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Cameron County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Clearfield County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Clinton County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Crawford County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Elk County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Erie County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Forest County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Fulton County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Lackawanna County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Mercer County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Mifflin County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Montour County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Northampton County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Pike County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Potter County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Schuylkill County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Somerset County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Sullivan County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Union County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Wayne County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Wyoming County Board of Elections, Pro Se.

Justice Wecht delivers the Opinion of the Court with respect to Parts I, II, III(A), III(B), and IV, and delivers an opinion with respect to Part III(C) joined by Chief Justice Todd and Justice Donohue.


OPINION

The Election Code states that a voter who submits an absentee or mail-in ballot "shall ... fill out, date and sign the declaration" that is printed on the envelope in which the ballot is returned.1 Petitioners contend that...

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