Court Opinion

ID: 9534693
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:42:09.305419+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:31:30.102770
License: Public Domain

*516Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Chief Justice Bell:
Paul E. Wagner, candidate for the State Senate, took these appeals from the decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County which reversed the County Election Board and sustained challenges to 153 absentee electors’ ballots which were cast in the 1964 election. These appeals were taken from the Board to the Court of Common Pleas under §1308 of the Election Code which was added to the Code by §24 of the Act of August 13, 1963, P.L. 707, 25 P.S. §3146.8. Section 1808 allows appeals to the Court of Common Pleas, hut, unlike many other Sections of the Election Code is silent as to the right of appeal from the Court of Common Pleas to an appellate Court. Because of this fact an appeal will be considered by this Court on broad certiorari and not, as the majority think, on narrow certiorari. Democratic County Committee Appeal (Musmanno-Blatt), 415 Pa. 327, 203 A. 2d 212. Cf. also Fitch Appeal (No. 1), 405 Pa. 169, 174 A. 2d 23; Culfen Appeal, 392 Pa. 602,141 A. 2d 389; Kaufman Construction Company v. Holcomb, 357 Pa. 514, 55 A. 2d 534.
The election of a State Senator is of such importance that even if his term has expired the case falls within the exception to the principle reiterated in Manganese Steel Forge Company v. Commonwealth, 421 Pa. 67, 218 A. 2d 307 (page 69) : “In Schuster v. Gilberton Coal Company, 412 Pa. 353, 194 A. 2d 346, the Court said (page 358) : ‘ “It has long been the rule in Pennsylvania that this Court will not decide moot questions. We will do so only in rare instances where exceptional circumstances exist or where questions of great public importance are involved: Conti v. Department of Labor and Industry, 405 Pa. 309, 175 A. 2d 56 (1961).” Ridley Park Shopping Center, Inc. v. Sun Ray Drug Co., 407 Pa. 230, 232, 180 A. 2d 1, 3 (1962).’”
*517Over 100 of the challenged absentee ballots were challenged only for the form of the application. A reasonable construction of the applicable section, and we have frequently said that the Code should be liberally construed, indicates that such errors cannot be challenged after the Election Board has approved the application and mailed the ballots.* Thereafter the only facts that can be challenged are whether the elector was absent, or ill or disabled on election day, and his age, residence, citizenship and registration.
For these reasons I would reverse the lower Court as to all the aforesaid challenged absentee ballots and direct that all absentee ballots should be opened and counted as well as all other unopened or uncounted ballots, and for this purpose remand the case to the lower Court.

 Some provisions of the Election Code still need clarifying language; furthermore, it is the opinion of this writer that the Code goes much too far in its grant of the privilege of absentee balloting.