Politics

Supreme Court allows 3-day extension for Pennsylvania mail-in ballots

Pennsylvania ballots will be counted up to three days after Election Day, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in shooting down Republican opposition to the extension.

The 4-4 ruling by the court upholds a previous decision by the State Supreme Court that will allow ballots in the Keystone State to be counted up to Nov. 6, the Associated Press reported. Ballots that don’t have clear postmarks will also be counted under the ruling.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined with three liberal members of the court in blocking the GOP’s challenge to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s previous ruling. Opinions by the justices were not included in the ruling.

Republicans, including President Trump, backed the challenge to Pennsylvania court’s ruling, arguing it violates election law that states Election Day is the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

Democrats in the state had sought the extension because members of their party are requesting mail-in ballots by nearly a 3-to-1 ratio over GOP voters, according to the AP.

With the extension, ballots postmarked by the time polls close on Nov. 3 can be counted by 5 p.m. on Nov. 6.

With Post Wires