The 9 discarded ballots were tossed because Republicans won their lawsuit requiring them to not be counted

“Because these ballots were returned in envelopes similar to absentee ballot requests, elections officials opened them,” The Washington Post reports. “If the ballots weren’t then enclosed in another envelope which shielded the actual vote being cast, they may have been considered ‘naked ballots,’ a term used to describe mail ballots returned without the voter’s intent being protected.

The Trump campaign and the Pennsylvania GOP in a lawsuit argued that “naked ballots” should not be counted. They won that lawsuit. These nine ballots appear to be “naked ballots,” and that appears to be the reason they were thrown out.

Related:

Voting by mail in Pa.? Don’t forget to use the secrecy envelope to avoid ‘electoral chaos,’ official warns

The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, supported the Democratic Party’s effort in court. But Republicans, including President Donald Trump’s campaign, the state Republican Party and Republican legislative leaders, have argued in court that the law requires mail-in ballots without secrecy envelopes to be invalidated.

Barr Personally Briefed Trump on DOJ Investigation Into 9 Discarded Ballots

It is generally not regular practice for an attorney general to brief a president about a small situation. It is almost unheard of for the DOJ to issue a press release or comment on an investigation in progress, especially to reveal major details about the case.