Wisconsin deadline for mail-in ballots facing legal scrutiny
Fox Business correspondent Hillary Vaughn hast the latest from Waukesha, Wis. on 'Special Report'
Democrats in Wisconsin, a key battleground state, are rapidly switching up their messaging on mail-in ballots after a Supreme Court ruling that disqualifies ballots received after Election Day.
The party is urging voters who have yet to return their ballots to use secure drop box locations or to return them at the county clerk’s office rather than relying on the mail, as first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday.
About 1.4 million ballots have been returned out of more than 1.7 million that were sent, according to the latest state data. That means there are more than 360,000 voters who the state is trying to contact about the ruling and updated deadline.
SUPREME COURT RULES THAT BALLOTS IN WISCONSIN MUST BE RECEIVED BY ELECTION DAY
A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Democratic Party did not return Fox News’ request for comment.
However, on Twitter the chair of the state’s Democratic Party said the group is spreading the word across as many mediums as possible, urging people to mail ballots as soon as possible or to make plans to ensure their votes are counted.
Unlike other states, Wisconsin does not report the party affiliation of voters who requested mail-in ballots.
However, organizers are likely relying on data from other states, which show more Democrats than Republicans are likely to vote by mail.
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday against an extension of time for counting mail-in ballots. Democrats in the state had been pushing for allowing ballots that were received within six days of Election Day to be counted, so long as they were postmarked by Election Day. Republicans had argued against the need for an extension.
Wisconsin is one of several key battleground states in the 2020 election. In 2016, Trump won by a margin of less than 1 percent.
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