Supreme Court Refuses To Extend Wisconsin’s Mail-In Voting Deadline

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Rejects Request To Extend Wisconsin's Deadline For Counting Mail-In Ballots 
The Supreme Court on Monday night rejected a pandemic-related request from Democrats and civil rights groups to extend the deadline for counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day in the key battleground state of Wisconsin. The vote was 5 to 3, with the Republican-nominated conservatives in the majority and the Democratic-nominated liberals in dissent. The court’s order showed the deep division within the court about the series of pandemic-related election cases that have come to dominate its agenda. (Barnes, 10/26)

Politico: In Wisconsin Decision, Supreme Court Foreshadows Election Night Cliffhanger 
As a divided Supreme Court on Monday resolved a fight over absentee voting rules in Wisconsin, the justices exchanged warnings about a troublesome scenario: the possibility that next week’s presidential election leads to days or even weeks of legal maneuvering and uncertainty about the winner. Justice Brett Kavanaugh conjured up the specter of such a protracted battle as he argued in favor of allowing states to maintain firm deadlines requiring absentee ballots to be received by election officials on Election Day. (Gerstein, 10/26)

In related news on mail-in ballots and voter safety —

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Cases Are Surging Again. These States Have Refused To Loosen Rules On Who Can Vote By Mail. 
Coronavirus cases are rising again in Texas, but most voters fearful of infection are not allowed to cast ballots by mail. For the limited number who qualify with a separate excuse, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott restricted drop-off locations to one per county. And when the Democratic stronghold of Harris County took steps to make voting easier, GOP leaders sued local officials. Texas is one of five red states that emerged as conspicuous holdouts this year as the rest of the country rushed to loosen voting rules because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the roughly 30 million registered voters who live there and in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have no choice but to cast ballots in person this fall, even as the rate of coronavirus infection in the United States approaches its third peak. (Viebeck and Hernandez, 10/26)

KHN: For People With Visual Impairments, Truly Secret Ballots Are Elusive
Norma Crosby remembers when she relied on blind faith to cast her vote. The 64-year-old Texan was born virtually without sight, a side effect of her mother catching rubella while pregnant with her. Friends and relatives stood beside her and filled out her ballot at polling precincts for more than half of her voting life. Then, accessible voting machines rolled out around the year 2000, enabling her to vote in person on her own. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic makes going to the polls a risky proposition for Crosby. She also has a condition called sarcoidosis that requires her to take immunosuppressant drugs, she said. However, the state does not have a mail-in voting system that accommodates Crosby’s visual impairment. (Heredia Rodriguez, 10/27)

AP: Ex-Postal Worker Charged With Tossing Absentee Ballots
A former U.S. Postal Service worker was charged with tossing dozens of absentee ballots and other mail that was found in a dumpster in Kentucky, the U.S. attorney’s office said. DeShawn Bojgere, 30, of Louisville, was charged with delay or destruction of mail, a news release from U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman’s office said in a news release Monday. (10/27)

The Washington Post: Boston Ballot Box Burned; Man Arrested And Charged, Police Say 
Worldy Armand, 39, was taken into custody after officers on patrol in the area concluded that he matched the description of the suspect, according to Boston police. Armand, who had an active arrest warrant for receiving stolen property, will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court for willful and malicious burning, police said. (Elfrink and Villegas, 10/26)