{"id":2360663,"date":"2024-10-28T16:54:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T20:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nv-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:57:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T20:57:41","slug":"nv-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nv-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark\/","title":{"rendered":"NV Supreme Court Orders Counting Mail Ballots Without Postmark"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fnv-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark%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=2360663&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>The Nevada Supreme Court recently ruled that mail-in \u2063ballots without a postmark can be counted in the days following an election. This decision dismissed a challenge from the Trump \u200dcampaign \u2064and \u200bthe Republican National Committee, who argued that state law only \u2063allows\u2063 ballots accompanied by a valid postmark to be counted. The\u2063 court upheld an interpretation by Secretary of State\u200c Cisco Aguilar which allows counting of such non-postmarked \u2063ballots if received by 5 p.m. on the third day after the election. Some\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-government-makes-your-bank-spy-on-you\/\" title=\"How Government Makes Your Bank Spy on You\">justices expressed concerns<\/a> about this interpretation, emphasizing the importance of clarity in electoral processes close to \u200ban \u2062election. The ruling has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-prof-forced-to-get-armed-security-after-showing-cops-dont-kill-blacks-disproportionately\/\" title=\"Black professor forced to hire armed security after presenting evidence that disproves disproportionate killing of Blacks by police\">sparked \u2064significant debate<\/a>\u2064 about the integrity of the voting process in Nevada.  <\/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 class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Supreme_Court_of_Nevada_(Las_Vegas,_Nevada).jpg\">Raul Jusinto\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Nevada%20Supreme%20Court%20Orders%20Counting%20Mail%20Ballots%20Without%20Postmark%20After%20Election%20Day&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Nevada%20Supreme%20Court%20Orders%20Counting%20Mail%20Ballots%20Without%20Postmark%20After%20Election%20Day&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-day\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Nevada%20Supreme%20Court%20Orders%20Counting%20Mail%20Ballots%20Without%20Postmark%20After%20Election%20Day&amp;body=The%20Nevada%20Supreme%20Court%20ruled%20on%20Monday%20that%20mail-in%20ballots%20lacking%20a%20postmark%20may%20be%20counted%20in%20the%20days%20after%20the%20election.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In a blow against fair and honest elections, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled on Monday that mail-in ballots lacking a postmark may be counted in the days after the election.<\/p>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.bwbx.io\/documents\/users\/iqjWHBFdfxIU\/rcyhsgv_IlqA\/v0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a>, the Silver State&rsquo;s highest court denied declaratory and injunctive relief sought by the Trump campaign, Republican National Committee (RNC), Nevada GOP, and a state resident in its challenge to Nevada&rsquo;s counting of non-postmarked ballots. <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/nevada\/chapter-293\/statute-293-269921\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State law<\/a> stipulates, &ldquo;If a mail ballot is received by mail not later than 5 p.m. on the third day following the election and the date of the postmark cannot be determined, the mail ballot shall be deemed to have been postmarked on or before the day of the election.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3aa78a2c9c270bd88f03f617587620fa fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3aa78a2c9c270bd88f03f617587620fa\"><\/div>\n<p>Unlike most states, Nevada requires local clerks to automatically mail a ballot to all individuals listed on the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">active voter registration list<\/a> during each election cycle, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Voting_in_Nevada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballotpedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to Monday&rsquo;s ruling, the office of Democrat Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has interpreted the statute &ldquo;such that a mail without a postmark that is received by 5 p.m. on the third day following the general election <em>must <\/em>be counted [emphasis added].&rdquo; In their <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.protectthevote.com\/media\/document\/filing\/Nevada_State_Postmark_Complaint_-_amended_complaint_7.3.24_h5wamnj7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> challenging this interpretation, plaintiffs argued that &ldquo;[c]ounting non-postmarked mail ballots is not permitted by Nevada law, which allows <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nevada-allowed-to-continue-counting-late-arriving-ballots-judge-rules-2\/\" title=\"Nevada allowed to continue counting late-arriving ballots, judge rules\">late-arriving mail ballots<\/a> to be counted in only two circumstances: (1) the ballot is accompanied by a valid postmark indicating it was mailed on or before election day, or (2) the ballot has a postmark but &lsquo;the date of the postmark cannot be determined.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs&rsquo; request for an injunction preventing the state from counting ballots that lack a postmark received after Election Day was <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/judge-denies-trump-gop-request-to-ignore-nevada-mail-ballots-with-unclear-postmark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> by a district court in August, prompting them to appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>In upholding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-appeals-court-hands-texas-a-major-border-win-over-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Federal Appeals Court Hands Texas a Major Border Win Over the Biden Administration\">district court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s denial of the injunction request, the high court&rsquo;s majority argued that the RNC and co-plaintiffs failed &ldquo;to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits and irreparable harm&rdquo; if an injunction weren&rsquo;t put in place by the court.<strong> <\/strong>Specifically, the five justice-majority concluded, &ldquo;the legislative history supports an interpretation of [the statute] where mail ballots without postmarks are counted when received by 5 p.m. on the third day after the election.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-741580e3e0529012e5d2944883115a9d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-741580e3e0529012e5d2944883115a9d\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;If a voter properly and timely casts their [sic] vote by mailing their [sic] ballot before or on the day of the election, and through a post office omission the ballot is not postmarked, it would go against public policy to discount that properly cast vote,&rdquo; the decision reads.<\/p>\n<p>In his concurring opinion, Justice Douglas Herndon agreed with the majority&rsquo;s determination that plaintiffs &ldquo;made an insufficient showing that they will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction,&rdquo; but disagreed with its conclusion that the statute permits officials to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day &ldquo;that do not contain a postmark.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>State law &ldquo;is clear and unambiguous that a mail ballot must contain a postmark, and, therefore, any inquiry into the Legislature&rsquo;s intent is erroneous. We must read the statute as it is plainly written and resist reading terms into the statute that the Legislature omitted to ensure that the statutory language is meaningful,&rdquo; Herndon wrote. &ldquo;If the Legislature meant to include mail ballots void of a postmark, as the majority concludes, it would have done so. But it did not. And we cannot read into the statute exceptions that do not exist.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To do so contravenes our well-established principles of statutory construction and interpretation,&rdquo; he added. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9ba41e40edaa515b12b73da22fc2f890 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9ba41e40edaa515b12b73da22fc2f890\"><\/div>\n<p>In her opinion &ldquo;concurring in the result only,&rdquo; Justice Kristina Pickering agreed with the majority&rsquo;s denial of plaintiffs&rsquo; request but differed with its interpretation of the statute. <\/p>\n<p>Similar to Herndon, she expressed &ldquo;concern with the majority&rsquo;s decision endorsing the Secretary of State&rsquo;s interpretation&rdquo; of the statute, but noted she is &ldquo;not convinced that the [plaintiffs&rsquo;] reading is correct either.&rdquo; The justice further argued it would &ldquo;not be in the public interest&rdquo; for the high court to reverse the district court &ldquo;this close to an election.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With mailed ballots already sent to voters and early voting underway, clarity and consistency in election rules are of paramount importance,&rdquo; Pickering wrote. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4b4eeadae2bc0803292d7dbee945e84c fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4b4eeadae2bc0803292d7dbee945e84c\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/court-ruling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-balloting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail-in balloting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail-in voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nevada\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Nevada<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nevada-supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Nevada Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Republican National Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-campaign\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Campaign<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots without a postmark can be counted after the election, impacting election integrity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2360664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nevada-Supreme-Court.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[32644,37707,43888,43889,33663],"class_list":["post-2360663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-election-integrity","tag-mail-ballots","tag-nv-supreme-court","tag-postmark","tag-voting-laws"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nevada-Supreme-Court.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360663","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2360663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2360663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2360664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2360663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2360663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2360663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}