(WHTM) -- The U.S. Appeals Court is set to make a ruling that could have major implications on this year's election: Do Pennsylvania voters need to put accurate, handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots in order for them to count?

It's a controversial question. 

Republicans argue that it's a security measure and that state law requires those ballots to be properly dated or tossed. 

The ACLU argues the date is unnecessary and shouldn't disenfranchise voters in future elections. 

In 2022, more than 10,000 ballots in the state were disqualified because they didn't have a date on them.  

The ACLU says that's a "meaningless paper error" and that's what they're telling a federal court. 

“I don't think it's a bad argument because of course, these mail in ballots despite the mandate of the statute that says they have to be dated," John Jones, Dickinson College president and former federal judge said. "The fact that matter is that election Bureau's know when they received the ballots, so they're either time or they're not when they're received and I have to wonder whether the lack of a date is that material.” 

It's unclear if a ruling will come ahead of the November 5 general election. 

But Jones says he's hopeful the court will expedite the case.