A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court, Friday, June 23, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
- A decision in favor of the RNC’s position will have far reaching impact, as at least 20 states, plus Washington, D.C., currently accept mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has filed an amicus curiae brief ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of Watson v. Republican National Committee, the Republican-led challenge of a COVID-era Mississippi law that allowed for ballots to be received and counted up to five days after an election.
As previously reported, the federal high court agreed to hear the Mississippi case after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear a previous ruling from a three-judge panel, maintaining the panel’s decision that Mississippi cannot count ballots that arrive after Election Day.
The court sided with the plaintiffs – Republican National Committee (RNC), the Mississippi Republican Party, the Mississippi Libertarian Party and two private individuals – in affirming the prior decision, with ten judges voting to deny a rehearing and five voting in favor.
Attorneys for the state representing Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) and local election officials then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling and allow the state law to remain in place.
The DNC now claims the Republicans challenging the law have been working closely with President Donald Trump (R) and the U.S. Department of Justice to lay the groundwork to eliminate early and mail-in voting nationwide. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the RNC, the DNC alleges that voters around the country will be disenfranchised by mail delays, and key protections for military and overseas voters could be eliminated.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement announced their filing that Republicans’ “continued assault on mail-in voting is an attack on our democracy and is wholly un-American.”
“Donald Trump and the RNC want to limit the rights of voters because they know that when more eligible voters make their voices heard, Republicans lose,” Martin said. “Voting by mail is safe, secure, and empowers voters who would otherwise struggle reaching a ballot box, including seniors and people with disabilities, members of the military and their families, and working families who are unable to take the day off to vote.”
Martin said the DNC “won’t sit idly by as Republicans attack our electoral system — we will keep fighting like hell to ensure every eligible voter is able to have their vote counted.”
A group of 14 Democrat United States Senators also filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the DNC’s position on the matter.
A decision in favor of the RNC’s position will have far reaching impact, as at least 20 states, plus Washington, D.C., currently accept mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
Frank Corder
