The Supreme Court rejected a Republican appeal and left in place a Pennsylvania court decision allowing people to cast provisional ballots when their mail-in votes are rejected Mark Schiefelbein | AP Photo

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has rejected a Republican appeal and left in place a Pennsylvania court decision allowing people to cast provisional ballots when their mail-in votes are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law.

The court released the decision Friday, after an “apparent software malfunction” sent out early notifications about orders that had been slated to be released Monday. A technological error also resulted in an opinion being posted early last year.

The justices acted in an appeal filed by the Republican National Committee, the state GOP and the Republican-majority election board in Butler County.

Pennsylvania’s top court ruled last year that the county must count provisional ballots that were cast by two voters after they learned their mail-in ballots were voided because they arrived without mandatory secrecy envelopes.

Pennsylvania Democrats had urged the court to stay out of the case.