Samuel Alito’s Dumb Argument Against Mail-In Ballots | EUROtoday

The legality of counting late-arriving mail-in ballots might hinge on one thing as trivial as a vacation’s title, not less than in case you ask Justice Samuel Alito.

The Supreme Court justice expressed skepticism Monday about accepting mail-in ballots obtained after the official date of an election, even when they’re postmarked on or earlier than, as a result of doing so would violate the title “Election Day.”

“If I have nothing more to look at than the phrase ‘Election Day,’ I think this is the day in which everything is going to take place, or almost everything,” he mentioned in oral arguments analyzing the legality of a Mississippi legislation that enables late-arriving mail-in ballots in federal elections.

About 30 states and Washington, D.C., accept at least some ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day but received afterward.

Republicans in Watson v. Republican National Committee are challenging Mississippi’s law, which allows a five-day grace period for ballots received after Election Day. Though it’s a state law, it could change voting rules nationwide if struck down.

Thus far, the court’s conservative justices — who make up the majority — appear skeptical about the law’s legality.

Among the other concerns the justices raised, Alito and Justice Brett Kavanaugh both questioned whether including late-arriving ballots could increase public distrust if the ballots change the results in a way the public wasn’t expecting.

“If the apparent winner the morning after the election ends up losing due to late-arriving ballots, charges of a rigged election could explode,” said Kavanaugh, according to CNN.

President Donald Trump has demanded an end to mail-in voting nationwide ahead of the November midterm elections, arguing — without supporting evidence — that the practice leads to widespread voter fraud.

Drawing a hard line in the sand, he earlier this month threatened to not sign any legislation into law until Congress passes a bill that outlaws voting by mail and requires proof of citizenship for voting.