Yes, in this case, no harm done. But the process of checks and balances that are the backbone of our system of government were circumvented. Those checks and balances exist to create a hope of detecting abuse when it happens.
Is is possible that a similarly light-weight process would have been used if the correction had been submitted in a typewritten letter or over email?
Indeed. Even something as small as an added comma might seem a good idea but could drastically change the reading of the law in question.