Category Archives: absentee ballots

Breaking: Federal District Court Rejects Trump Campaign Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania Drop Boxes and Other Voting Rules, Finding Fraud Claims Speculative; Appeal Chances Slim

October 10, 2020, 8:41 amabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

138-page opinion. It was pretty clear that’s where this one was heading, and I have serious doubts that the Trump campaign is going to do better if they try to appeal this up the appellate ladder. As I explained… Continue reading

“Vote-by-mail ballot rejection and experience with mail-in voting”

October 8, 2020, 2:14 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

David Cottrell, Michael Herron, and Dan Smith have posted this new draft. Here is the abstract: Although most ballots in the United States have historically been cast in-person, an increasing number of Americans are turning to mail-in voting during… Continue reading

Breaking and Analysis: 7th Circuit, on 2-1 Vote, Rejects District Court Extension of Wisconsin Deadline for Receipt of Absentee Ballots, Relying Heavily on Supreme Court’s Earlier Ruling in South Carolina Case

October 8, 2020, 11:03 amabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

As I noted in this Slate piece earlier this week, “Generally, though, the Republican side may be far more successful in blocking lower court orders sought by Democrats and voting rights groups seeking to expand voting by mail. Although Democrats… Continue reading

“How the pandemic has complicated voting access for millions of Native Americans”

October 7, 2020, 4:33 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

PBS News Hour: For many Native Americans living on tribal reservations, a home address is not a standard number and street name, like 735 Bleeker Street. Instead, it’s a series of instructions.“They’ll say something like, I live off highway… Continue reading

Ohio SOS Frank LaRose Says Federal Court Misunderstood His Order, Tells Cuyahoga County to Stand Down on Ballot Collection Expansion

October 7, 2020, 10:00 amabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

Cleveland.com: State officials have told Cuyahoga County elections officials that they still can’t proceed with their plan to set up ballot collection sites at county libraries, saying a federal judge in a written order incorrectly described a policy set by… Continue reading

Postal Carrier in New Jersey Charged with Dumping 1,875 Pieces of Mail, Including 99 Ballots

October 7, 2020, 9:58 amabsentee ballots, chicaneryRick Hasen

Daily Voice: Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested a postal carrier from Kearny who they said dumped 1,875 pieces of mail — including general election ballots and campaign flyers – instead of delivering them.Nicholas Beauchene, 26, was nabbed by special… Continue reading

“Two of These Mail Ballot Signatures Are by the Same Person. Which Ones?”

October 7, 2020, 8:36 amabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

NYT’s The Upshot.

Montana Republicans Seek Supreme Court Order to Block Expansion of Montana Mail in Balloting

October 6, 2020, 4:04 pmabsentee ballots, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

This petition faces an uphill battle. Note the attempted distinction between “absentee” and “mail in” ballots and the attempt to argue around the Purcell principle. Note too that this does not come from state defendants objecting to the expansion of… Continue reading

Federal District Court Won’t Issue Requirement that Ohio Secretary LaRose Expand Use of Drop Boxes Given Other Options for Collecting Ballots LaRose Has Offered, For Now

October 6, 2020, 12:37 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

From the ruling: It is now settled law that off-site drop boxes are neither prohibited nor compelled in Ohio.Yesterday, October 5, the Secretary issued Directive 2020-22. In his latest Directive, the Secretary authorized any board to deploy its staff… Continue reading

“Judge blocks Iowa directive on absentee ballot applications”

October 5, 2020, 4:14 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

AP: A judge blocked Iowa’s secretary of state Monday from enforcing an order that barred counties from sending absentee ballot applications to voters with their personal information already filled in.Judge Robert Hanson sided with Democratic Party groups, who contended that… Continue reading

“‘Running out of time’: Efforts to speed up counting mail ballots stall in battleground states”

October 4, 2020, 10:25 amabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

USA Today: Battleground states that could decide the presidential election face a shrinking window to take action to allow the processing of absentee ballots before Election Day to cut down on the days or even weeks it could take to… Continue reading

Eleventh Circuit, on 2-1 Vote, Reverses District Court Order That Would Have Extended Time for Receipt of Absentee Ballots

October 2, 2020, 2:56 pmabsentee ballots, court decisionsRick Hasen

You can find a majority, concurring, and dissenting opinion here. The judges broke along the party lines of the president that appointed them.

“Federal judge strikes down change to NC absentee ballot witness requirement”

October 2, 2020, 9:38 amabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WRAL: A federal judge on Wednesday warned the State Board of Elections that recent changes to requirements for absentee mail-in voting in North Carolina do not have his approval.Those changes, outlined in a Sept. 22 memo from the state… Continue reading

“Federal judge refuses to stop mail-in voting in Montana, blasts Trump-backed ‘fiction’ of massive voter fraud”

October 1, 2020, 11:09 amabsentee ballots, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

CNN: A federal judge in Montana rejected the Trump campaign’s effort to stop an expansion of mail-in voting in the state.The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee filed the lawsuit earlier this month after Democratic Montana Gov. Steve… Continue reading

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