Katie wrote earlier today that ballots were found in a trash can in Pennsylvania. Were there tons of them? No. But the fact remains that nine ballots tossed in a trash can in one county and more of the same happens all over the country, we could be in a serious legal battle. First, it’s wrong. These are people’s votes. One ballot trashed is not good—and you’d think Democrats would be just as outraged given their fetish about voter suppression. All of the ballots were cast for Trump, by the way. And do you know what else isn’t good? States extending these mail-in ballot deadlines to where mail ballots can be counted after the deadline. Oh, and Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin have decided to do this. Yeah, that’s a real coincidence, huh?
Pennsylvania already said they would be accepting ballots even if the voter signatures don’t match (via Philly Inquirer):
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the state’s mail ballot deadlines … a move that could allow tens of thousands of additional votes to be counted — and will likely draw criticism from Republicans, who have argued that votes should be received by Election Day.
State law says mail ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, but the high court said Thursday that ballots will be counted if they are received by 5 p.m. the Friday after the Nov. 3 election. To count, ballots arriving after Election Day must either be postmarked by Nov. 3 or have no proof they were sent afterward. Ballots that arrive by the new deadline with missing or illegible postmarks would still be counted.
In Wisconsin, their deadline for counting these ballots was extended by nearly a week (via AP):
A federal judge ruled Monday that absentee ballots in battleground Wisconsin can be counted up to six days after the Nov. 3 presidential election as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
The highly anticipated ruling, unless overturned, means that the outcome of the presidential race in Wisconsin might not be known for days after polls close. Under current law, the deadline for returning an absentee ballot to have it counted is 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Democrats and their allies sued to extend the deadline in the key swing state after the April presidential primary saw long lines, fewer polling places, a shortage of workers and thousands of ballots mailed days after the election.
U.S. District Judge William Conley granted a large portion of their requests, issuing a preliminary injunction that was expected to be appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. He put the ruling on hold for seven days to give the other side a chance to seek an emergency appeal.
In Michigan, officials will have up to two more weeks to count these ballots (via WSJ):
A Michigan judge extended the state’s deadline for receiving mail-in ballots, a move likely to reduce the number of ballots rejected for lateness but which could delay results in some races in the battleground state.
Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens on Friday ordered that ballots postmarked by the day before Election Day be eligible to be counted if they are received within 14 days after the election. Normally, the state requires mail-in ballots to be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The judge cited concerns about mail delays. “In light of delays attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic, mail delivery has become significantly compromised,” she wrote.
Democrats have raised concerns about postal delays, and congressional Democrats have taken aim at Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a former logistics-company executive and GOP fundraiser. Mr. DeJoy has made recent changes at the Postal Service that he said were intended to increase efficiency by reducing extra and late mail-transportation trips.
If there is one area where the GOP is dropping the ball, it’s here. Democrats are ahead of the lawfare game. It doesn’t mean his fight is over, but lawsuits should be filed quickly—very quickly if we want to avoid any funny business because there’s going to be plenty of that on November 3.
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