(Reuters) – A Pennsylvania court ruled that a mail-in voter law violated the constitution of the state. This raises questions about access to the ballot for the battleground state in advance of crucial election contests later in the year.

According to Pennsylvania’s Democratic Attorney General, the Commonwealth Court ruling of Friday will be appealed directly to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The ruling could be put on hold while the appeal continues.

Three Republican judges sided alongside Republicans who challenged Act 77. The state constitution requires that voters vote in person unless a reason is given, like a disability, or being far from home. Two Democratic judges disqualified.

Act 77, which was approved by Republicans in 2019, had abolished the requirement for postal voting. The method was actively used by Democrats in 2020 to vote, which helped President Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump by approximately 80,000 votes.

Commonwealth Court President Mary Hannah Leavitt stated that, while she believes Pennsylvanians would be supportive of a constitutional amendment eliminating the requirement to vote in person, an amendment was nonetheless necessary.

Leavitt wrote that the amendment to our Constitution which eliminates the need for in-person vote is a prerequisite to the legislature establishing a mail-in, no-excuse voting system.

Important races in Pennsylvania are affected by the ruling, including that for retiring Republican U.S. Senator Pat Toomey. The contest between Senator Pat Toomey and the incumbent Republican U.S. Sen., could determine which party controls Congress during November’s midterm elections.

Josh Shapiro (the state’s Democratic attorney General who is running to be governor) said the appeal would be made.

This opinion is flawed on law and it is founded on twist logic. In a statement, he stated that it would immediately be appealed. “It will therefore have no immediate impact on Pennsylvania’s upcoming election.”

Act 77, which was adopted in 2019, resulted from a compromise of Republican and Democratic state legislators. Republicans sought to eliminate straight-ticket voter selection, which allows voters to pick one candidate from a list of political parties. Democrats wanted voting by mail to be available to all.

Trump’s loss of the state led to Republicans changing their opinions on law, many of whom embraced the false claim that Trump had lost because widespread fraud was linked with mail-in ballots.

Mail-in voting was also more appealing to those concerned about their health because of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2020, more than 2.5 million Pennsylvanians voted by mail.

Reporting by Nathan Layne, Wilton Connecticut. Editing by Richard Chang