US court says counting votes from ballots received after Election Day is illegal

A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that it is illegal for states to count mail-in votes received after Election Day, backing Republicans in a lawsuit challenging a five-day deadline the state granted to Mississippi. The decision by a three-judge conservative panel did not strike down Mississippi’s law, but it called into question voting practices used in about 20 states, a fight over voting rights that many predict will end up at the Supreme Court. The justices did not order immediate changes to state procedures but delegated the next step to a lower court, saying it was important to preserve the status quo ahead of the Nov. 5 election between vice president and Democratic nominee . Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump. The elections will also decide who will have control of Congress. Republicans are skeptical of mail-in votes because Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that widespread fraud occurs against them. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley praised the decision in a statement. “This is a huge victory for electoral integrity, for respect for the law and for common electoral guarantees,” he said. “We respect the court’s decision and look forward to further proceedings in the case,” said a spokeswoman for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican. The decision directly applies only to the states under the court’s jurisdiction: Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. This is a victory for the Republican National Committee, the party in the state and two Republican voters who filed a lawsuit in January challenging the law, which was enacted by the Republican-controlled state legislature in 2020. The Party Libertário filed a similar action. The panel’s decision comes at a time when Democrats and Republicans are arguing over election rules in dozens of trials.

Source: Terra

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