The state’s absentee balloting rules for the this year’s general election — and in future elections — were upheld in two legal cases argued before a panel of judges on the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The cases challenging changes to state absentee ballot rules that were made over the past year unfolded a week before the Nov. 8 election and as early voting and the submission of absentee ballots are already taking place. One of the decisions overturns a state Supreme Court ruling, adding to the ongoing confusion over absentee ballot rules and the faith in the process. …
In the unanimous rulings issued Tuesday evening, the appellate panel sided with the Democratic officials. The officials for the Republican and Conservative parties may still request that their arguments be heard by the Court of Appeals, but there’s no assurance the state’s highest court will hear the case given the appellate court’s unanimous decisions.
The first case involves the state GOP and Conservative parties suing the state over what it believes to be unconstitutional measures on the process to validate ballots, when to count the ballots and who can challenge any potential flaws with those voting records. The second case focuses on whether the rule allowing someone to vote with an absentee ballot because they fear contracting an illness, notably COVID-19, is too broad and should be banned.