(NewsReady.com) – Former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have launched an all-out war on mail-in ballots since the 2020 election. Their next target is Nevada and its ballot-counting law. The presumptive GOP nominee and national party are suing the state.
On May 3, the RNC and the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in the US District Court of the District of Nevada. They want the court to repeal the ballot-counting law Democrats passed in 2021. It allows officials to count ballots for up to four days after the election, as long as envelopes are postmarked before the end of Election Day.
The lawsuit argues the Constitution requires there to be a single election day. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley issued a statement saying the Nevada law “clearly violates federal law and undermines election integrity in the state.” He argued that ballots received after Election Day shouldn’t be counted.
Nineteen states allow ballots to be counted after Election Day. Proponents of the laws argue they ensure people have time to decide who to vote for and make it easier for them to vote. Opponents argue it undermines trust in the electoral system and believe bad actors can exploit it.
The RNC is also arguing that the Nevada law forces them to “divert resources from in-person voting activities […] and instead spend money on mail ballot chase programs” and activities after the election. Further, Trump campaign attorneys Alicia Ashcraft and Michael Columbo, along with RNC lawyers Thomas McCarthy, Sigal Chattah, and David Warrington, claim the law “disproportionately harms Republican candidates.” The legal team states in the lawsuit that the current voting system in the state “permits illegitimate votes and therefore violates the Fourteenth Amendment” of the Constitution.
The RNC tried to sue during the 2020 election over Nevada’s ballot counting provisions at the time, but the case was thrown out for lack of standing.
The suit is the 83rd filed by Republicans six months before the election, including suits in North Dakota and Mississippi. It appears it’s going to be a very litigious campaign season.
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