Montana Supreme Court rules ballots must be received by 8 pm on Election Day to count

Associated Press | Oct 1, 2020 | News | 10 

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — In the back-and-forth court battle over Montana mail ballot election deadlines, the Montana Supreme Court has said the current state law will be in force for the general election — mailed ballots must be received by county offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

Tuesday’s ruling was the second time in this election cycle the Montana Supreme Court blocked a lower court order that would have allowed ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by the following Monday to be counted.

Ballot deadlines are an issue in several states where Democrats are seeking more time to count the expected higher number of ballots that will be returned by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to put a hold on a ruling that extended the deadline to receive and count mailed-in ballots. On Tuesday, a federal appeals court upheld a six-day extension for counting ballots in Wisconsin...........To Read More.....