This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.

A design change Pennsylvania officials made to prevent voters from making a disqualifying error on their mail ballots appears to have backfired.

The issue — voters failing to write the final two digits of the year on the return envelope — is leading some counties to reject ballots in the primary, despite the state’s new advice to count them.

Last fall, the Pennsylvania Department of State announced it was redesigning the state’s mail ballot return envelope, in part to reduce the number of ballots rejected for lacking a proper date, which is required by law. This year’s envelope has “20” prefilled in the year line and leaves spaces for the voters to fill in the last two digits.

One election director said a “significant” number of voters who returned flawed ballots had not filled in the last two digits of the year, and other election officials around the state echoed that observation.

On the Friday before the election, Deputy Secretary for Elections Jonathan Marks sent an email to counties advising them to count ballots even if the envelope lacks the last two digits of the year.

“It is the Department’s view that, if the date written on the ballot can reasonably be interpreted to be ‘the day upon which [the voter] completed the declaration,’ the ballot should not be rejected as having an ‘incorrect’ date or being ‘undated,’” Marks wrote, citing a 2022 Pennsylvania Supreme Court case.

But the department’s emailed advice does not carry the force of law, and counties are making different decisions about whether to count the ballots. Votebeat and Spotlight PA contacted eight counties and found that Philadelphia, Allegheny, and Delaware counties are counting the ballots, while York, Lycoming, Lancaster, and Snyder counties are rejecting them. Montgomery County said it would make a decision next week.

It’s unclear exactly how many voters will be affected by rejections. Philadelphia said those figures would not be available until Thursday. In Snyder County, 10 of the 21 ballots rejected for dating issues were properly dated except for the last two digits of the year, Election Director Devin Rhoads said.

In Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, spokesperson Abigail Gardner said ballots with dating errors were the majority of the county’s mail ballots at risk of rejection, and this specific dating error was an “overwhelming” majority of those. Gardner said that until Friday, Allegheny County had been marking these ballots as improperly dated but changed that determination after receiving Marks’ email.

Lycoming County Election Director Forrest Lehman said his county will reject ballots that lack the final two digits. He added that such ballots make up a “significant” number of the ones his staff was rejecting, though he did not have exact figures.

Reacting to the Department of State’s advice, Lehman said, “I don’t know what they’re basing it on or why they decided to say it at the last minute.”

States that are associated with signature varietals of wine can realize an economic benefit—some examples are regions in California linked with zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, Oregon with pinot noir and the Finger Lakes region of New York with riesling. Now, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that there is potential for Pennsylvania to join that list.

In findings published in International Journal of Wine Business Research, they report that a wine grape cultivar called Grüner Veltliner could bring recognition to the Keystone State and attract consumers. The vines, which grow well in cool climates, were first planted in Pennsylvania around 2003, the researchers noted. Since then, production has expanded across the Mid-Atlantic region, though acreage is still low relative to other cool-climate white grape cultivars.

Wine made from a signature grape cultivar could provide a point of differentiation for Pennsylvania, explained lead researcher Kathy Kelley, professor of horticultural marketing and business management in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The association can be used to promote the state’s wine industry and more.

“Being associated with Grüner Veltliner wines could increase tourism and be used in marketing to highlight local cuisine and history,” she said. “Our study aims to determine white wine drinkers’ interest in Grüner Veltliner wine, a potential signature wine for the commonwealth, and identify the consumer segments likely to look for and purchase this wine varietal.”

Field trials were conducted to determine the suitability for production in the state and a trained panel of wine consumers evaluated wine produced from Pennsylvania-grown Grüner Veltliner grapes to assess potential regional differences in sensory profiles. In the past five years, the researchers pointed out, Pennsylvania Grüner Veltliner wines have received several accolades and awards. The wine won the “Best Dry Wine” category at a state competition.

According to Wine Enthusiast, “The Grüner Veltliner grape is versatile and can produce a wide array of wines, from light and quaffable to rich and concentrated.” The best dry Grüner Veltliners, the website stated, “are perfumed, bone dry and full bodied, with high acidity and distinctive notes of spice and white pepper.”

Grüner Veltliner wine grapes are widely grown in Austria, comprising about a third of the country’s total area under vine, the researchers said. It is recognized as the flagship variety grown in Austria, Kelley said, contributing to knowledge of the varietal that could lead to a thirst to try Pennsylvania grown and produced versions.

In the study, 676 wine consumers from the Mid-Atlantic region were surveyed and compared, based on their familiarity with Grüner Veltliner wine, their propensity to try new-to-them wines and the likelihood of looking for and purchasing Pennsylvania Grüner Veltliner wine. Although only a third of participants had some experience with Grüner Veltliner wine, 77% were “somewhat interested” to “very interested” in being able to sample and taste the wine, and 67% were “somewhat likely” to “very likely” to look for and purchase the wine.

Age, wine-consumption behavior, familiarity with Pennsylvania wine and Grüner Veltliner wine differed between participants, based on their variety-seeking ratings, which the researchers assessed based on answers to a questionnaire.

“Efforts to promote lesser-known wines need to be focused on identifying the likely buyers—especially those who tend to try new products or seek greater diversity in what they consume,” Kelly said. “Variety seekers look for new and novel stimulus, and it is this quest for novelty that prompts consumers to try wines that are unfamiliar to them.”

Study results present evidence of potential demand for a signature wine in Pennsylvania, the researchers suggest, adding that the research provides direction for targeted marketing and related promotional strategy, along with identifying wine that consumers are interested in tasting and purchasing.

Based on efforts to achieve recognition in other states, Kelley said, Pennsylvania likely will have to invest in developing coalitions to promote a signature grape cultivar.

“But if Grüner Veltliner wines gain a reputation for being consistently good across vintages and wineries, consumers are expected to sample and consume other wines and food products produced locally, thus driving further economic development,” she said.

“With these potential benefits, it would be prudent for state and regional wine industry organizations to consider establishing the wine grape cultivar as a signature varietal.”

Voters across Pennsylvania are heading to the polls today to cast ballots in the 2024 primary election. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Reporters from WHYY News and Billy Penn are following each of the major campaigns — including the crowded race for attorney general.

As Election Day unfolds, follow WHYY News’ live special coverage on WHYY.org, the WHYY App, and WHYY-FM.

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