<\/p>\n
Rob Ecklin is president of Stoner Inc., a manufacturing business located in Quarryville, as well as owner of Ecklin Development and numerous other small businesses in Lancaster.<\/p>\n
Submitted<\/p>\n
When it comes to elections, Pennsylvania is often deemed the center of the country\u2019s political universe.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 4, voters will determine whether three state Supreme Court justices \u2014 Christine Donohue, David Wecht and Kevin Dougherty \u2014 deserve additional 10-year terms on the bench.<\/p>\n
These retention elections are essentially votes of confidence or no confidence. Have these justices consistently demonstrated during their first 10-year terms that Pennsylvanians can be confident in them to uphold the law with impartiality, fairness and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 the blindness that justice requires?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, as I see it, the answer is, \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, over the past decade, our state Supreme Court has issued multiple rulings that I don\u2019t believe can be justified apart from making a conscious decision to subvert the law. Perhaps the worst of these rulings concern mail-in ballots.<\/p>\n
When Pennsylvania enacted no-excuse mail-in voting in late 2019, some people celebrated the law. Others strongly opposed it. But the fact is that it\u2019s the law, passed by our elected lawmakers and signed by the governor.<\/p>\n
And in our representative democracy, the foundation of law means something. Indeed, it means everything.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania\u2019s election law clearly states that mail-in ballots must arrive at their county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day; that these ballots must be dated; and that, if ballots are rejected as invalid, voters do not get a \u201cdo-over\u201d via provisional ballots.<\/p>\n
But in separate cases, our state Supreme Court wantonly ruled that none of these things matter.<\/p>\n
In other words, the court said ignoring the law is perfectly fine.<\/p>\n
In 2020, the court ordered that mail-in ballots arriving three days late must still be counted. But only in that year\u2019s elections. As for the law? It didn\u2019t matter to several justices. They didn\u2019t like it, so they ordered counties to ignore it.<\/p>\n
That same year, the court ruled that undated ballots in an Allegheny County state Senate race must be counted. But just that once. Not in the future. As for the law? It didn\u2019t matter to several justices. They didn\u2019t like it, so they ordered the county to ignore it. Justice Donohue even admitted her decision allowed \u201ctechnical violations of the Elections Code.\u201d<\/p>\n
And just last year, several of the justices said that if a voter casts an invalid mail-in ballot, they can still vote via provisional ballot, even though the law specifically prohibits this. But again, the law didn\u2019t matter to several justices. They didn\u2019t like it, so they said to ignore it.<\/p>\n
This is problematic to anyone who cares about fairness, stability and justice.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fine to believe the law is mistaken. It\u2019s fine to want it changed. But it\u2019s concerning when justices who are charged with impartially interpreting the law use their elevated bench to upend it instead.<\/p>\n
Upholding the integrity of Pennsylvania election laws is critical not just for the commonwealth but also for the country. We\u2019ve been the subject of national ridicule time and time again. And our state Supreme Court keeps perpetuating the chaos.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, elections aren\u2019t the only area in which these justices have fallen short. They\u2019ve also put public safety at risk. For example, in 2021, they vacated the conviction of Bill Cosby, who had been accused of assaulting more than 50 women.<\/p>\n
Can Pennsylvanians have confidence these justices will protect public safety moving forward?<\/p>\n
Justices Donohue, Dougherty and Wecht have had 10 years to demonstrate their fidelity to the law, their commitment to impartiality and their devotion to blind justice. They\u2019ve failed to do so.<\/p>\n
They have lost my confidence, lost my trust and they\u2019ve certainly lost my vote.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why, on Nov. 4, I will be voting \u201cno\u201d on retaining Justices Christine Donohue, David Wecht and Kevin Dougherty.<\/p>\n
Rob Ecklin is president of Stoner Inc., president of Ecklin Development LLC and a member of the board of trustees of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
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