Michigan Judge Extends Deadline 2 Weeks for Mail-In Ballots Postmarked by November 2

[mystery-ak]

Hannah Bleau 18 Sep 2020

Mail-in ballots postmarked by November 2 must be counted up to two weeks after the presidential election, a Michigan judge ruled this week. The ruling also authorizes the temporary use of ballot harvesting.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens essentially extended the deadline for mail-in ballots to be counted, even if they arrive after the polls close on Election Day, which stood as the previous deadline. Stephens attributed her ruling to the impact of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic:

“The unrefuted affidavits and documents compel the conclusion that, in light of delays attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, mail delivery has become significantly compromised, and the risk for disenfranchisement when a voter returns an absent voter ballot by mail is very real,” Stephens stated in the lawsuit the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans lodged.

The ruling also authorizes the use of ballot harvesting — allowing a third party to deliver the ballots, although it is confined to a specific timeframe.
The ruling states:

As it concerns the voter assistance ban, MCL 168.932(f) is unconstitutional as applied to only a narrow timeframe: the time between 5:01 p.m. on the Friday before the election and Election Day, i.e., when the clerk or an assistant is not required to assist a voter who wishes to cast an absent voter ballot. During this timeframe, and only during this timeframe, a voter may select any third party of his or her choosing to render assistance in returning an absent voter ballot. Any penalties and prohibitions that would otherwise apply to the mere act of helping a voter return an absent voter ballot, 3 including those found in MCL 168.932 and MCL 168.935, will be enjoined from applying during this specified timeframe only.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/18/michigan-judge-extends-deadline-two-weeks-mail-in-ballots-postmarked-november-2/

[mystery-ak]

Michigan Allows ‘Ballot Harvesting’ for More than Four Days

Joel B. Pollak 18 Sep 2020

A Michigan court decision that will extend the deadline for postmarked mail-in ballots to be received up to 14 days after Election Day will also allow ballots to be submitted by third parties — a practice called “ballot harvesting” — during a specific period.

As Breitbart News reported earlier Friday, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens ruled that mail-in ballots postmarked by November 2 — the day before Election Day — will still be counted in Michigan in the 2020 election.

In addition, Judge Stephens said that strangers can return other people’s ballots — normally a felony — between 5:01 p.m. on Friday, October 30, and 8:00 p.m. on November 3, the moment that polling places are supposed to close on Election Day.

Judge Stephens wrote:

This court enjoins MCL 168.932(f) in this election from 5:00 p.m. Friday October 30, 2020 until the close of the polls on November 3, 2020, in so far as it limits the class of persons who may render an absent voter assistance. As a result, a voter casting an absent voter ballot in the November 2020 general election may select any individual the voter chooses to render assistance in returning an absent voter ballot, but only for the limited time period when assistance from the clerk is not required, i.e., between 5:01 p.m. on the Friday before the election and the close of polls on Election Day.

The ruling means that anyone may return the ballot of another voter in that period of time, not just those specified by law (such as immediate family members).

more
https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2020/09/18/michigan-allows-ballot-harvesting-for-more-than-four-days/