Battleground Ballots and Changing Rules
Three key states see changes that could affect the election outcome.
We’ve discussed the potential for voter fraud ad nauseam in this election cycle as Democrats aim to exploit the pandemic to greatly expand unsolicited mail-in ballots. And then there are court rulings and moving goal posts. Stories from three key battleground states highlight why this matters. A few thousand votes in Milwaukee, Detroit, or Minneapolis could swing the election.
In Wisconsin, U.S. District Judge William Conley extended the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots all the way to November 9, provided the envelope is postmarked on or before Election Day on November 3. Conley extended the voter registration deadline to October 21 and will allow voters to obtain absentee ballots online or by email through October 29 if voters don’t receive them by mail. The order also permits poll workers to serve in any county, regardless of where they live. The net effect is to change protocols late in the game and to open up the possibility that the Badger State’s results won’t be known for nearly a week after Election Day.
Next door in Michigan, Judge Cynthia Stephens overruled state law requiring receipt of absentee ballots by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, extending that deadline for 14 days for envelopes postmarked by November 2. Like Wisconsin (and Pennsylvania), this means election results in a tight contest could be delayed. Michigan voters can request an absentee ballot until 5:00 p.m. on October 30.
Finally, in Minnesota, which some think could be in play for President Donald Trump given the horrific riots there, every registered voter in the state has received a “Vote From Home” application. “Keep Minnesota #1 in voter participation and help slow the spread of COVID-19!” it says. Near the bottom of the letter, it concedes what it practically frames as an alternative: open polling places “for those who need or want to vote in person.” The form requires no real verification to ensure that the correct voter receives and fills out the ballot.
As we said Monday, the radical Left’s 2020 agenda is undermining Americans’ faith in our electoral process.
