JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is getting involved in a national political debate, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision made by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court regarding mail-in ballots.
Schmitt led a coalition of 10 state attorneys general and filed a brief, saying mail-in ballots received three days after election day should not be counted.
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision overstepped its constitutional responsibility, encroached on the authority of the Pennsylvania legislature, and violated the plain language of the Election Clauses,” the brief said.
The brief argues the "Pennsylvania Supreme Court overstepped its authority and encroached on the authority of the legislature in ruling that ballots received three days after election can be accepted, including ballots with an illegible postmark or no postmark at all," according to a press release from Schmitt's office. It also argues that voting by mail can "create risks of voter fraud" and that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision "exacerbated these risks of absentee ballot fraud."
“Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our republic and make the United States the envy of nations across the globe," Schmitt said. "To keep those elections free and fair, we must ensure that every legal vote is counted and every illegal vote is not. To not do so would disenfranchise millions of Americans. That’s why my office led a coalition of 10 state attorneys general in filing this amicus brief to urge the Supreme Court of the United States to grant a writ of certiorari in "Republican Party of Pennsylvania vs. Boockvar."
Click here to read the entire brief.
