HARRISBURG (AP) - A new lawsuit seeks to force Pennsylvania elections officials to accept absentee or mail-in ballots as long as they are received within a week after the primary or general elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The groups and voters who filed the lawsuit on Monday with the state Supreme Court argued current deadlines threaten to invalidate otherwise properly cast votes.

They are seeking to have the court order that ballots be accepted if they are mailed by election day and received within a week afterward.

They argue that postal delays from the COVID-19 pandemic could cause ballots to be received too late to count. The deadline for county elections offices to receive absentee and mail-in ballots is currently 8 p.m., when polls close, on election day.

Pennsylvania’s primary has been postponed until June 2.

The state legalized mail-in ballots last fall and they will be used for the first time this year.

High school graduation

Wolf dashed any remaining hope that a high school senior might be able to participate in a traditional graduation ceremony. It’s not happening, he said Monday.

The virus “has made it impossible for traditional graduation ceremonies to take place,” he said in a video message. “A lot of you are probably feeling angry about this, and you have a right to feel that way because you have been dealt a bad hand.”

Wolf’s reopening plan bans large gatherings even in regions of the state where pandemic restrictions are being eased starting May 8.

“We have all had to make sacrifices to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe during this pandemic and this has been a big one,” said Wolf, offering congratulations to the class of 2020.

Garden centers

A proposal to force the Wolf administration to open lawn and garden retail suppliers passed a House committee on Monday with unanimous Republican support and a few Democratic “yes” votes.

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee approved that bill as well as a measure to let pet groomers open. Both categories of business would have to be able to operate in accordance with federal social distancing guidelines.

The bills still require action from both chambers and the governor’s signature.

Gardeners are now starting the spring planting season with severely limited access to seeds, seedlings, fertilizer and other material.

Wolf closed down garden centers as part of a March 19 order that closed businesses not deemed necessary to sustain life.