{"id":2286836,"date":"2024-07-01T07:20:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mailing-it-in-swing-state-ballot-lawsuits-could-shape-2024-presidential-race-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-01T07:29:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:29:16","slug":"mailing-it-in-swing-state-ballot-lawsuits-could-shape-2024-presidential-race-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mailing-it-in-swing-state-ballot-lawsuits-could-shape-2024-presidential-race-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Swing State Ballot Lawsuits May Impact 2024 Presidential Race &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmailing-it-in-swing-state-ballot-lawsuits-could-shape-2024-presidential-race-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2286836&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Four months\u200b before Election Day,\u2062 there \u200bare\u200c ongoing disputes over voting regulations, specifically in key\u200c swing states. Activists and parties are gearing up for\u2064 potential legal disputes similar\u200b to those from the previous election. The Washington Examiner is exploring\u2063 these issues, with\u200c the first part\u2062 focusing on \u200cabsentee\u200d voting.<\/p>\n<p>During the peak of the COVID-19\u200b pandemic, several states modified their voting methods to include\u2064 more mail-in voting \u2062options; this included\u2064 sending absentee ballots\u2064 or applications to all registered voters, installing ballot drop boxes, and setting up curbside voting,\u2062 among others. Former President Donald Trump has blamed \u200dhis \u20632020 loss on these changes, particularly criticizing mail-in voting for\u200c leading \u2064to alleged election fraud. Despite such accusations, \u200che and other Republican\u200c top\u200d officials are now \u2062encouraging their\u200b base to utilize all available voting methods including mail-in and\u2062 early voting.<\/p>\n<p>Lawsuits are still active in several\u2064 swing \u200cstates aimed at addressing what some conservative groups see as lax rules around\u200c mail-in voting, such \u200cas signature verification\u2063 and the\u200b use\u2063 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-disinformation-police-pressure-meta-to-run-election-interference-on-new-threads-platform\/\" title=\"Left-wing &#039;Disinfo&#039; Police Push Meta for Election Interference on New Threads Platform.\">ballot \u200ddrop boxes<\/a>. These \u2062legal\u2062 challenges\u200b are already playing out in states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, \u200dNorth Carolina, \u200band \u200cPennsylvania, each showing different levels of progress and implications for the upcoming 2024 presidential election between Trump and Joe Biden. These states are \u2062crucial due to their significant electoral \u200cvote counts and their potential to swing \u2062the election results.<\/p>\n<p>as the 2024 presidential election \u200bapproaches, both mail-in voting regulations and their\u200c legal challenges remain significant points of\u200c contention, influencing\u2064 both campaign \u2063strategies and voter participation \u2062methods.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em>Four months out from Election Day, activists are still fighting over the rules that will dictate how voters cast their ballots, including in key swing states. The parties are preparing for legal battles if the results are close, as they were four years ago. In this series, the <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> will look at the battles over election rules. Part one will look at absentee voting.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024 presidential election<\/a> will likely be decided by a handful of swing states, where judicial activists on both sides of the political aisle have been busy in court trying to alter the rules for a key method of casting ballots: mail-in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, states across the partisan spectrum altered their voting policies to provide more options at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many states relaxed the rules for voting by mail, and some sent absentee ballot or ballot applications to all registered voters. Ballot drop boxes were installed in nearly 40 states, others established curbside voting options, and some counted ballots received after Election Day so long as they were postmarked by the date.<\/p>\n<p>Former President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, who is heading into a rematch against President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a>, blamed much of his failure to win a second term on the sweeping changes to voting procedures across the country. He accused mail-in voting of contributing to election fraud, which conditioned his supporters to distrust those methods.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Yet Trump and other ranking Republican officials this cycle have encouraged his supporters more than ever to take full advantage of any and all alternatives to voting in-person, including early voting and casting ballots by mail.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If we swamp them with votes they can&rsquo;t cheat,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3028163\/trump-180-mail-in-voting-swamp-the-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>campaign said<\/a> in a press release in early June. &ldquo;You need to make a plan, register, and vote any way possible. We have got to get your vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>With nearly every possible voting method now endorsed by the Trump campaign, lawsuits backed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-west-virginias-secretary-of-state-wont-follow-bidens-illegal-directives-federalizing-elections\/\" title=\"West Virginia&#039;s Secretary of State Refuses to Comply with Biden&#039;s Federal Election Orders\">conservative voter integrity groups<\/a> are still underway in key swing states. But rather than filing lawsuits to block alternative voting methods, these suits take aim at what these groups consider dubious rules, such as relaxed instructions for verifying ballot signatures and outdoor ballot drop boxes.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FILE &ndash; Chester County, Pa. election workers process mail-in and absentee ballots at West Chester University in West Chester on Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo\/Matt Slocum, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s a look at where absentee ballot legal challenges stand in seven key swing states:<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Arizona <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>11 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In late April, a state court judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/news-alerts\/arizona-court-rejects-right-wing-challenge-to-drop-boxes-and-signature-matching-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>upheld<\/a> Arizona&rsquo;s signature matching and drop box procedures for mail-in voting, rejecting two lawsuits from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cbs-sued-by-seal-team-writer-who-claims-heterosexual-white-men-need-extra-qualifications\/\" title=\"CBS faces lawsuit by &#039;SEAL Team&#039; writer alleging bias against heterosexual, white men\">conservative legal group founded<\/a> by Bill Barr, the former attorney general under Trump.<\/p>\n<p>One lawsuit contested signature verification methods, which the judge found compliant with state law following a recent clarification from the secretary of state. Signature verification is the process of matching the signature on a voter&rsquo;s ballot with his or signature on voter registration records. The other lawsuit challenged the use of unmonitored drop boxes, which the judge also ruled as lawful.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the setback for Republican-backed efforts to make the Grand Canyon state&rsquo;s elections more secure, Trump recently had a 5-point lead above Biden, <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/arizona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to a June 30 poll from <em>538<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Georgia <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>16 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In late February, the U.S. Department of Justice intervened in a lawsuit challenging the Georgia State Election Board&rsquo;s deadline for absentee ballot applications under the Voting Rights Act.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, filed by the International Alliance of Theater Stage Employees&nbsp;union, argued that Georgia&rsquo;s deadline violates the VRA&rsquo;s mandate for absentee ballots in presidential elections if applied seven days before the election.<\/p>\n<p>The Peach State&rsquo;s law requires applications 11 days before, which the union says is unlawful under Section 202(d) of the VRA.<\/p>\n<p>Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr (R) contended that Section 202&rsquo;s provisions are not privately enforceable and that only the U.S. attorney general can sue under the VRA. The DOJ asserts that the VRA&rsquo;s provisions are privately enforceable.<\/p>\n<p>On June 13, a federal judge found that the union should not have sued the state election board and dismissed them from the case, though the case has been permitted to continue against Fulton County defendants. The county is also where Trump is facing criminal charges over an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-rico-case-kenneth-chesebro-and-ray-smith-surrender-at-fulton-county-jail\/\" title=\"Kenneth Chesebro and Ray Smith surrender at Fulton County Jail in Trump RICO case.\">alleged election subversion plot<\/a>, and it is the state&rsquo;s most populous county.<\/p>\n<p>As of June 30, Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">held<\/a>&nbsp;6.4-point lead over Biden in Georgia, according to <em>538<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Michigan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>15 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A Michigan judge on June 12 partially sided with a Republican National Committee bid to tighten signature verification rules for absentee ballots. The judge <a href=\"https:\/\/michiganadvance.com\/2024\/06\/14\/michigan-judge-rejects-bensons-guidance-on-absentee-ballot-signatures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ruled<\/a> that election officials can continue using most current signature matching guidelines but cannot apply a &ldquo;presumption of validity&rdquo; standard.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling was applauded by&nbsp;RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who said it confirms that safeguards are required for absentee ballots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Secretary of State&rsquo;s covert attempts to sidestep these rules were rightfully rejected by the court, exposing that her attacks on election integrity have no substance. This win is just the latest development in our ongoing fight to promote fair and transparent elections in the Great Lakes State,&rdquo;&nbsp;Whatley wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/gop.com\/press-release\/election-integrity-win-in-michigan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But the ruling does still allow most of Michigan&rsquo;s current mail-in voting procedures to remain largely intact for the 2024 election. The judge acknowledged that a voter&rsquo;s signature can change one time due to age or disability, or if it was made in haste, or was written on an uneven surface.<\/p>\n<p>Trump held a narrow 1.8-point lead <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/michigan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>above<\/a> Biden in Michigan as of June 30, according to <em>538<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Nevada <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>6 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign, with the RNC and Nevada GOP, filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/06\/06\/nx-s1-4973736\/mail-ballot-return-lawsuits-nevada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lawsuit<\/a> in early May to challenge Nevada&rsquo;s mail-in ballot receipt deadline, arguing it violates federal law. <\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit seeks to invalidate ballots received after Election Day, claiming this dilutes votes and harms Republican candidates. In the 2022 midterm elections, Clark County officials say about 40,000 ballots came in after Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>Trump lost the state against Biden by about 33,500 votes in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>While no ruling has been made in the Silver State case, the Biden campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/biden-campaign-asks-court-to-dismiss-gop-lawsuit-challenging-nevada-mail-ballot-deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>has filed a motion to dismiss<\/a> the lawsuit and is also seeking to become a party to the case. The motion argues that the receipt deadline law would disenfranchise Nevadans.<\/p>\n<p>Trump sported a close 3.7-point <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/nevada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>polling advantage<\/a> above Biden in Nevada as of June 30, according to the <em>538<\/em> average.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>North Carolina <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>16 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A federal judge in January <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/nc\/charlotte\/news\/2024\/01\/22\/nc-election-law-court-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>blocked<\/a> part of North Carolina&rsquo;s new election law concerning same-day voter registration at early voting sites. <\/p>\n<p>The ruling affects the procedure of verifying voter addresses, which critics argue could disenfranchise voters due to potential errors in address verification.<\/p>\n<p>The decision comes amid litigation filed by progressive groups and the Democratic Party against the law, which overall remains largely in effect. Republican backers of the suit plan to appeal the ruling, asserting their commitment to election integrity.<\/p>\n<p>Trump held a 7.2-point <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/north-carolina\/\">advantage<\/a> over Biden in North Carolina according to a June 30 poll.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Pennsylvania <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>  19 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A coalition of grassroots organizations <a href=\"https:\/\/penncapital-star.com\/voting\/voting-rights-groups-file-lawsuit-to-challenge-pennsylvania-mail-in-ballot-date-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sued<\/a> Pennsylvania officials in late May to end the disqualification of mail-in ballots lacking a handwritten date on the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>The 3rd Circuit Court ruled that such ballots should not be counted, conflicting with previous rulings favoring ballot inclusion. <\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit argues the date requirement is arbitrary and disenfranchises voters. This case follows another federal suit by the NAACP challenging the date requirement as a violation of the Civil Rights Act.<\/p>\n<p>Trump held a narrow 1.9-point average <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/pennsylvania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lead<\/a> over Biden in Pennsylvania as of June 30.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Wisconsin <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>10 Electoral Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court in early May <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/wisconsin-ballot-drop-boxes-supreme-court-acd79fb616528d168c96ee62efaaff3f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>signaled<\/a> a willingness to overturn a 2022 ruling that restricted absentee ballot drop boxes to election clerk offices. <\/p>\n<p>The court&rsquo;s potential reversal could reinstate the broader use of drop boxes, which Democrats argue are essential for secure absentee voting, while Republicans say they make elections less secure.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The case, brought by Priorities USA and the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Voters, challenges the interpretation of state law by the previous conservative majority. A reversal may significantly affect the 2024 election in this key swing state.<\/p>\n<p>Trump held less than 1-point average <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/president-general\/2024\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>advantage<\/a> over Biden in Wisconsin as of June 30.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Four months before Election Day, activists contest voting rules, especially in pivotal swing states. Parties brace for potential legal disputes reminiscent of those from four years ago. The Washington Examiner series will explore these conflicts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2286837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/voter-registration.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[33449,7386,7976,25081,32076],"class_list":["post-2286836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-2024-presidential-race","tag-ballot","tag-lawsuits","tag-swing-state","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/voter-registration.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2286836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2286836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2286836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2286837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2286836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2286836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2286836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}