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Jan Wolfe and Makini Brice of Reuters bring us this quick summary of some of the key disputed demands on how to run Tuesday’s election. They stand out, some of which remain to be resolved with two days to go:
Direct voting in Texas: Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen in Houston will consider Monday whether votes already cast at 10 direct voting sites in the Houston area should be rejected. The lawsuit was filed by Conservative Steve Hotze and State Representative Steve Toth. They accused the county clerk of exceeding his constitutional authority by allowing direct voting as an alternative to walk-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Ballot Delivery Sites: Republican officials and the Trump campaign have argued, without evidence, that the boxes could allow voter fraud. The state’s highest court ruled that Gov. Greg Abbott could limit ballot drop-off sites. “Plaintiffs complain that limiting early mail ballot deliveries to one office per county requires more travel time for some voters. But this ignores the other voting options these voters have, ”the court wrote. The three magistrates who issued the decision are Republicans.
Minnesota Voting Deadline Extension: A federal appeals court said Minnesota’s plan to count absentee ballots received after Election Day was illegal, and it sided with Republicans. “As well-intentioned and politically appropriate as it may be in the context of a pandemic during a presidential election, it is not up to a state executive official to rewrite the state’s electoral code,” the majority wrote. The court ordered Minnesota election officials to identify and “segregate” absentee ballots received after November 3. Those ballots will not be counted if a final ruling is made in favor of the Republicans.
Wisconsin Mail Vote Count: Wisconsin elections officials cannot count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, ruled a conservative majority in the supreme court on Oct. 26. Liberal Judge Elena Kagan disagreed, saying that the majority decision “would disenfranchise a large number of responsible voters amid the dangerous conditions of a pandemic.”
Florida restrictions on ex-offendersA court ruled in September that Florida could require criminals to pay fines, restitution and legal fees they owe before regaining their right to vote. By a vote of 6-4, he reversed a lower court ruling that the measure amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax. Five of the six judges in the majority were appointed by Trump. Nearly 900,000 Floridians with felony convictions will not be able to vote in the election due to the decision
North Carolina Ballot Extension: On Thursday, the supreme court put into effect the extension of North Carolina’s deadline for receiving ballots by mail. The state board of elections opted to allow absentee ballots with Election Day postmarks to be counted if they arrived until nine days later. The justices denied a request by Republican state lawmakers to suspend the deal.
Pennsylvania Mail Ballot Extension: Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled in September that officials could accept mail-in ballots three days after an election, as long as they were postmarked for Election Day. The supreme court denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to review the decision in an expedited manner, but could still review the dispute and rule on it after the election.
Pennsylvania “naked votes”: Republicans prevailed on an issue in Pennsylvania’s superior court. In interpreting a state law, the court said officials must throw away “naked ballots” that arrive without internal “secret envelopes.” Democrats have warned that the ruling could result in the elimination of more than 100,000 votes.
