US appeals court says counting ballots received after Election Day is illegal

26/10/2024 7:26

        A U.S. appeals court on Friday said it was illegal for states to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, siding with Republicans in a case
        challenging Mississippi's five-day grace period. The ruling by a conservative three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not strike down Mississippi's law but called into question mail-in voting practices used in about 20 states nationally, in a voting-rights fight that many predict will end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.
        
        The judges did not order any immediate changes to Mississippi's procedures and left it up to a lower court to decide what to do next, saying it was important to preserve the status quo ahead of the Nov. 5 election between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald
        Trump. The election will also decide control of Congress.
        
        Republicans are generally skeptical of mail-in ballots because Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that they are sources of widespread fraud.
        
        Representatives for the Republican and Democratic parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.