MN Absentee Ballots Received After 8 P.M. Election Day Must Be Separated
Appeals Court: MN Absentee Ballots Received After 8 P.M. Election Day Must Be Separated, WCCO/AP, 10/29/20
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Minnesota absentee ballots may need to be in by 8 p.m. Election Day in order to be counted. The ruling puts the state’s extended counting period at risk and sets the stage for post-election litigation.
The ruling doesn’t block Minnesota’s seven-day extension for counting absentee ballots — but it does order a lower court to issue a ruling to segregate the ballots so they can be “removed from vote totals in the event a final order is entered” that finds them unlawful.
The ruling orders Secretary of State Steve Simon to inform local election officials so they can comply, and sends the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.
“The court’s decision is a tremendous and unnecessary disruption to Minnesota’s election, just days before Election Day. This last-minute change could disenfranchise Minnesotans who were relying on settled rules for the 2020 election — rules that were in place before the August 11 primary and were accepted by all political parties. It is deeply troubling that the people who brought the lawsuit, a conservative legislator and presidential elector, would seek to sabotage the system for political gain,” Simon said. “I won’t let any Minnesota voter be silenced. My mission is now to make sure all voters know that a federal court has suddenly changed the rules, and that their ballot needs to be received by Election Day.”
More: https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/10/29/appeals-court-rules-mn-absentee-ballots-must-be-in-by-8-p-m-election-day/
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This is in Latest Breaking News, but needs to be here in the MN Group too.
It was a 2-1 decision with the Trump and G.W. Bush appointee being the "2" and the Obama appointee being the "1"
The LBN thread is at https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142616428
= new reply since forum marked as read
