Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/20-542_2c83.pdf
Page Number: 5

Cite as:  592 U. S. ____ (2021) 

5 

THOMAS, J., dissenting 

An election system lacks clear rules when, as here, differ-
ent  officials  dispute  who  has  authority  to  set  or  change
those rules.  This kind of dispute brews confusion because
voters  may  not  know  which  rules  to  follow.    Even  worse,  
with more than one system of rules in place, competing can-
didates  might  each  declare  victory  under  different  sets  of 
rules. 

We are fortunate that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s
decision  to change  the  receipt  deadline  for  mail-in  ballots
does not appear to have changed the outcome in any federal 
election.  This Court ordered the county boards to segregate 
ballots received later than the deadline set by the legisla-
ture.  Order  in  Republican  Party  of  Pa.  v.  Boockvar, 
No. 20A84.  And none of the parties contend that those bal-
lots made an outcome-determinative difference in any rele-
vant federal election. 

But we may not be so lucky in the future.  Indeed, a sep-
arate  decision  by  the  Pennsylvania  Supreme  Court  may
have already altered an election result.  A different petition
argues  that  after  election  day  the  Pennsylvania  Supreme
Court nullified the legislative requirement that voters write
the date on mail-in ballots.  See Pet. for Cert., O. T. 2020, 
No. 20–845.  According to public reports, one candidate for 
a  state  senate  seat  claimed  victory  under  what  she  con-
tended was the legislative rule that dates must be included
on  the  ballots.  A  federal  court  noted  that  this  candidate 
would win by 93 votes under that rule.  Ziccarelli v. Alle-
gheny Cty. Bd. of Elections, 2021 WL 101683, *1 (WD Pa., 
Jan. 12, 2021).  A second candidate claimed victory under 
the contrary rule announced by the Pennsylvania Supreme
Court.  He was seated. 

That is not a prescription for confidence.  Changing the
rules in the middle of the game is bad enough.  Such rule 
changes by officials who may lack authority to do so is even 
worse.  When those changes alter election results, they can 
severely  damage  the  electoral  system  on  which  our  self-