President Donald Trump has been battling against the idea of voting by mail in 2020 for months now, for a multitude of reasons.
First, there are his concerns that the US Postal Service may not be able to handle the added load of mailed ballots, delaying the results of the election until Christmas or later.
Then there are the always-prevalent concerns that mailed votes would not be as secure as votes cast in polling places, with the President even suggesting that foreign governments could interfere with their own ballots.
Now, one of the nation’s newest swing states is extending their deadline for absentee balloting – something that is sure to wrinkle the President’s nose as well.
A federal judge on Monday filed an order to extend the receipt deadline for absentee ballots in Georgia, mandating ballots postmarked by Election Day and delivered within three days must be counted.
US Northern District of Georgia Judge Eleanor Ross wrote in the order that these “extraordinary times” are cause for relief for voters.
“The Court notes it is reluctant to interfere with Georgia’s statutory election machinery.
However, where the risk of disenfranchisement is great, as is the case here, narrowly tailored injunctive relief is appropriate,” Ross wrote. “Consequently, the Court finds that extending the absentee ballot receipt deadline by three … business days is appropriate. The Court emphasizes that the equitable relief it provides is limited to the November 2020 election during these extraordinary times.”
Georgia has been turning “purple” in recent years, thanks in no small part to the burgeoning population of Atlanta – a southern metropolis that trends heavily to the left.
