Hawley’s central argument is that a new state law about voting by mail — passed not “last year” but in the fall of 2019 — conflicts with the state’s constitution. The courts have not backed up his argument, and he omits the full story about the new law. The state constitution doesn’t have an explicit ban on mail-in voting, and the law permitting mail-in voting passed with strong Republican support…..
Hawley said, “Last year, Pennsylvania elected officials passed a whole new law that allows universal mail-in balloting, and did it irregardless of what the Pennsylvania Constitution said.”
To suggest that lawmakers passed a law that plainly violated the state constitution is wrong. The point Hawley raised is debatable, not clear cut.
Additionally, Pennsylvania lawmakers cared enough about constitutionality to give a window of time — 180 days — for people to challenge the law’s constitutionality. No one did until Trump lost the election there.
Finally, it’s important context to note that election experts said that what Hawley argued for — congressional intervention — was the wrong remedy for a question about the state constitution.
We rate this claim Mostly False.