A federal judge in Mississippi has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee that aimed to prevent the state from counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after. This ruling by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. marks the second recent dismissal of such a lawsuit, with another federal judge in Nevada also rejecting similar claims.
In his ruling, Judge Guirola stated that Mississippi's procedure for counting lawfully cast absentee ballots aligns with federal law and does not violate any election statutes. The lawsuit, filed against Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson and six local election officials, argued that allowing ballots received after Election Day to be counted dilutes the impact of timely ballots.
The judge emphasized that Mississippi's law does not extend the federal election beyond the designated date set by Congress. Instead, it allows for the delivery and counting of ballots that were cast on or before Election Day, in line with practices in several other states.
Mississippi is among the states that permit mailed ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, a practice also observed in swing states like Nevada and states such as Colorado, Oregon, and Utah that heavily rely on mail voting.
Former President Donald Trump had previously made unsubstantiated claims about mail-in voting fraud, but his 2024 campaign is now endorsing the practice if it proves convenient for voters.
