Pennsylvania Counties to Segregate Ballots Received after 8:00 P.M. on Election Day

Pennsylvania county election boards were directed Wednesday by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to segregate all mail-in and civilian absentee ballots received between 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 6, reads a letter from the state’s Attorney General’s Office, according to CBS 21.

News of the letter follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in which mail-in and absentee ballots sent by voters and postmarked by 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 3 will be counted if received by the county election boards on or prior to Nov. 6 at 5:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Republican Party has again requested for the Supreme Court to hear its case to prevent counties in the state from counting mail-in ballots received up to three days following the election — a move that came days after the court ruled 4-4 on placing a hold on the deadline extension.

A Trump campaign spokesperson, Thea McDonald, said in a statement that the president and Republicans are fighting for “a free, fair election” in Pennsylvania.

“The Trump campaign entirely supports the Pennsylvania GOP taking President Trump’s fight to protect voters and keep the election on Election Day to the Supreme Court,” McDonald said.

In its Sept. 17 ruling ordering the three-day extension, the Democratic majority on the state’s divided high court cited warnings that Postal Service delays could invalidate huge numbers of ballots and surging demand for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.