Left-leaning groups and voting rights advocates asked Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Wednesday to stop counties from throwing out what could be thousands of mail-in ballots in November's election in a battleground state that's expected to play a critical role in picking the next president.

It could determine the fate of thousands of votes that could otherwise be canceled in the Nov. 5 election, when Pennsylvania is considered a critical state in the presidential contest.

You may have heard some mistaken national media reports saying Pennsylvania has "early voting" or that it is starting this week.

Voters in Pennsylvania are not yet able to cast ballots, despite confusion over a state law concerning applications for mail ballots.

A state appeals court upheld a lower court’s finding that a GOP-controlled county violated state law when election workers refused to tell voters whether their mail-in ballot in April’s primary election would be counted.

Voters who ordered mail-in ballots should start checking their mailboxes, and it's not too late to order one or request one in person.

This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat's free newsletters here.

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court agreed with a lower court judge that Washington County had to warn mail ballot voters about their errors.