You’d think this wouldn’t need legal attention, but this is 2020. Everything gets challenged. With Trump being hated so badly, the smell of fraud is in the air. Secretary Steve Simons, a Democrat, tried to change the deadline for absentee ballots to be in. The Judge said no. It went against current Minnesota law. It could be seen as giving people time, yes. But Democrats will take an inch and demand a mile.
The judge probably expected this
The ballots must be physically received by 8 pm Election Day to count. There’s no need to delay this. If you can’t physically bring a ballot to a post box, have somebody you trust bring it right to your city clerk.
A settlement that had been previously okayed by a judge was reached between Mr. Simons and a citizens group, the Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans Education Fund. The ruling left an ambiguity. If the postmark wasn’t visible, count it anyway up til Nov. 10.
CBS Minnesota stated, “Previously, a ballot that was postmarked Nov. 3 would still be counted so long as it arrived within a week. The ruling says that the plaintiffs — Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office — did not show that they were entitled to relief amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.”
The judge wouldn’t allow the law to be rewritten
The decision read, “However well-intentioned and appropriate from a policy perspective in the context of a pandemic during a presidential election, it is not the province of a state executive official to re-write the state’s election code.”
The 8th Circuit Court sent the case to a lower court to ask it to hold ballots separately if they came back after the deadline. The case isn’t done yet. If the final ruling is in the Republican’s favor those ballots will not be counted.
All judges may not agree
North Carolina and Pennsylvania extended their deadlines for receiving ballots. Pennsylvania is Democrat.
Steve Simon thought the ruling was “confusing”, people wouldn’t know if they’re ballot was counted or not. Mr. Simon, all you’d need to do is see where the judge finally rules on this. If the final decision is in the Republican’s favor, they won’t be counted. He also worried that, “Almost 400,000 ballots could be in transit or they could be on coffee tables throughout Minnesota.”
