Pennsylvania
Some voters are failing to complete the year on Pa.’s newly redesigned mail ballot envelopes
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.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on cast vote records creates uncertainty for counties
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, age 83, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, formerly of Warren, Ohio, passed away, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Haven Convalescent Home.
Mr. Jamison was born December 2, 1942, in New Castle, a son of the late Charles N. and Anna (Callihan) Jamison and was a 1960 graduate of New Castle High School.
Charles worked as an order checker clerk for Packard Electric Company, Warren, Ohio, for 31 years, until his retirement in 1999.
A proud veteran, he served his country in the United States Navy.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Warren, Ohio and also attended Mass at Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church.
Charles spent his free time hunting and playing Euchre.
He is survived by his four sisters, Margaret I. Klann, Mary E. DeMarco and Catherine “Kay” A. Houk (Robert), all of New Castle and Susan J. Olson (Donald), Winfield, Illinois; his brother, Richard Jamison (Linda) of New Castle; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the City Rescue Mission, 319 S. Croton Ave., New Castle, PA, 16101, and the Salvation Army, 240 W. Grant St., New Castle, PA, 16101.
The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Haven Convalescent Home for the care and support that Charles received over the years.
Calling Hours will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 111 W. Falls St., New Castle.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on 10:30 a.m., Wednesday May 13, 2026, in Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church, 124 N. Beaver St., New Castle, with Rev. Aaron Kriss, as celebrant.
Interment: Castleview Memorial Gardens, Neshannock Twp.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles F. Jamison, please visit our flower store.
Is Using Your Phone at a Red Light Legal in Delaware?
Whether or not you can legally use a cellphone at a red light in Delaware is complicated.
According to the Delaware State Code, “No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any highway while using an electronic communication device while such motor vehicle is in motion.”
Traveling from the First State to the Keystone State soon?
If so, you might want to put your cellphone down while you’re in the car unless you don’t mind coughing up a few extra bucks.
Beginning June 6, drivers caught using an electrical device while driving will be fined $50.
See how the new law works and what devices are legal to use while driving in neighboring Pennsylvania and here in Delaware.
Is it legal to use a cellphone while driving in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania law has barred drivers from reading, writing or sending text messages while driving since 2012, but other handheld cellphone uses were permitted.
The new law that takes effect next month expands the ban to all handheld device use while driving.
New law expands cellphone driving ban in PA
The new regulation, dubbed Paul Miller’s Law, defines an interactive mobile device as basically any electronic handheld device that can be used for things such as voice communication, texting, surfing the internet, playing games, taking photos or sharing social media that can be operated using at least one hand or “supporting body part” or requires pressing more than a single button.
Can I text when stopped at a red light in Pennsylvania?
No, the Pennsylvania law defines driving as operating a motor vehicle on a highway, including anytime the vehicle is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic control device or other momentary delay such as a traffic backup.
What are the penalties for using a cellphone while driving in PA?
- Prior to the law going into effect, the penalty is a written warning.
- Starting June 6, the penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
- The law does not authorize the seizure of an interactive wireless device.
- The violation carries no points against your license and it is not recorded on the driver’s record for noncommercial drivers. It will be recorded on a commercial driver’s record as a non-sanction violation.
- If a driver is convicted of homicide by vehicle and driving while distracted, they may be sentenced up to an additional five years in prison.
When can you use a mobile device in the car in Pennsylvania?
- A driver may use an interactive mobile device if the driver moves the vehicle to the side of or off a highway and halts in a location where the vehicle can safely remain stationary
- The hands-free law allows for an emergency use exception if it is necessary to communicate with a law enforcement official or other emergency service to prevent injury to persons or property.
- The texting ban does not include the use of a GPS device or a system or device that is physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle, or a communications device that is affixed to a mass transit vehicle, bus or school bus.
Who is the new law in PA named for?
Paul Miller Jr., 21, was killed in a head-on motor vehicle accident with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving. He was a junior at East Stroudsburg University where he was majoring in sociology.
After his death, his mother, Eileen Miller, has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving. In 2024, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the law prohibiting the use of hand-held devices while driving, making Pennsylvania the 29th state to ban distracted driving.
Can you use a cellphone while driving in Delaware?
No, it is illegal for drivers to use any hand-held devices while driving in Delaware — and has been for over a decade.
This ban not only includes cellphones and smartphones, but also laptops, portable computers and tablets.
Drivers are also barred from reading, writing or sending text messages or emails; using the internet; or talking without a hands-free device at the ready while operating a vehicle.
Is there a fine for using a cellphone while driving in Delaware?
Any motorist caught using any hand-held device while driving will be fined $100 for their first offense. Any subsequent offense will result in a fine between $200 and $300.
-
Cleveland, OH6 minutes agoWhat’s it like being a news anchor at Cleveland’s ABC Channel 5
-
Austin, TX12 minutes agoAntisemitic incidents in Rhode Island fell by half in 2025, ADL says
-
Alabama18 minutes agoKevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament welcomes Auburn, Alabama players as guest hosts
-
Alaska24 minutes agoHantavirus outbreak, climate risks from microplastics and Alaska’s surprise tsunami
-
Arizona30 minutes agoWhere to watch Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 11
-
Arkansas36 minutes agoA 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, died after crashing dirt bike into tree
-
Colorado48 minutes agoContamination, climate change and political drama stall clean water for Colorado’s Arkansas Valley – High Country News
-
Connecticut54 minutes agoCT Lottery Cash 5, Play3 winning numbers for May 10, 2026