Justice Samuel Alito cautioned that the Supreme Court’s decision to allow ballots received after Election Day to be counted could lead to risks of voter fraud and undermine trust in the electoral system.
Concerns Over Election Integrity
Alito argued that the majority’s ruling misinterpreted when the ‘electorate’s choice’ occurs and could produce ‘lamentable consequences’ by spawning a range of troubling election-law questions.
He described a hypothetical scenario where the outcome of a presidential election hinges on a single state that allows late-arriving mail ballots to be counted, potentially leading to charges of a rigged election.
Alito also noted that diverse sources have recognized that mail-in ballots increase the potential for fraud, citing a 2005 committee chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that found absentee voting was ‘the largest source of potential voter fraud’ in American elections.
Democrats Argue for Inclusive Voting
Democrats, meanwhile, argue that allowing states to process ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive afterward is essential to ensuring that all eligible voters have a say in who governs them.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., expressed relief that the Supreme Court is not interfering with Washington’s mail-in ballot system, stating that it has made it easy for people with shift jobs, young children, or those living in remote areas to participate in democracy.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
