Absentee ballots dropped in the mail by November 2nd will be counted. That’s the decision handed down today by a state Court of Claims judge.
This has been a lingering controversy – when is the cutoff for absentee votes to be counted? A judge says ballots mailed by November 2nd and arrive before the vote tally is certified two weeks later will be included.
This has been a lingering controversy – Republicans have argued that any ballots that arrive after the polls closed should not be counted. Democrats say anything postmarked before polls close election night should be included.
In her written opinion, Judge Cynthia Stephens said slow mail caused thousands of voters to be denied a voice in the August primary and that should not happen again. She set a deadline of the day before the election for people to get their votes in the mail. Some local officials are urging voters to skip the mailbox and drop off their absentee ballots in person.