Justices deny fast, new-look at Pennsylvania ballot deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not grant a quick, pre-election review to a new Republican appeal to exclude Pennsylvania absentee ballots received after Election Day.

But the court’s order left open the possibility that the justices could take up and decide after the voting whether a three-day extension to receive and count absentee ballots ordered by the state’s high court was proper.

The issue would take on enormous importance if Pennsylvania turns out to be the crucial state in next week’s election and the votes received between Nov. 3 and Nov. 6 are potentially decisive.

Earlier Wednesday, the state agreed to segregate ballots received in the mail after polls close on Tuesday and before 5 p.m. on Nov. 6. New Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not take part in the vote “because of the need for a prompt resolution of it and because she has not had time to fully review the parties’ filings,” court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing for three justices, indicated he would support the high court’s eventual review of the issue. But, he wrote, “I reluctantly conclude that there is simply not enough time at this late date to decide the question before the election.”

HARRISBURG (AP) — With six days until Election Day, Pennsylvania’s top elections official on Wednesday urged voters in the presidential battleground state who have one of the roughly 1 million mail-in ballots outstanding to drop it off in person rather than mail it.

In addition to concerns over Postal Service delays, litigation in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is raising doubts over the timing of the deadline for counties to receive mail-in ballots.

The state Republican Party is asking the court to reinstate an Election Day deadline for receiving ballots, rather than the state court-ordered Nov. 6, three days after the election.

It is unclear whether or when the court will take up the case. But, in a sign of the uncertainty the litigation is brewing, Pennsylvania told counties on Wednesday to set aside and not count those ballots arriving after polls close until they get further direction from the state.

“At this point we are not recommending that anybody put their ballots in the mail, just drop it off in person,” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar told reporters Wednesday. “We really recommend that you drop it off in person.”

The deadline to apply for mail-in ballots passed on Tuesday. Voters applied for almost 3.1 mail-in or absentee ballots, with about 2 million returned thus far, election officials say.

There are a variety of ways to drop off mail-in ballots, including at secure election drop boxes, county election offices and other county-designated drop-off locations.

Boockvar also urged counties to begin the laborious task of processing mail-in and absentee ballots on Election Day — tasks like removing ballots from their outer and inner envelopes — so that they can be more quickly scanned and tabulated.

Counties are expected to need up to three days after Election Day to tabulate the vast majority of mail-in ballots, whether they are dropped off or mailed, with expectations that many mail-in votes will not be counted on the night of the election.

Gov. Tom Wolf and his fellow