US Supreme Court Orders Pennsylvania to Separate-Count Mail-In Ballots Arriving After Election Day

Conservative Justice Alito Orders "Count Mail-In Ballots Received After 3 Days Separately"
Only 3,000-4,000 Mail-In Ballots Affected... Unlikely to Change Outcome Even If Excluded

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Pennsylvania Election Commission on the 6th to separate and count mail-in ballots that arrived after the presidential election day on the 3rd (local time).

According to CNN and other outlets, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted part of the Republican Party's request to halt the counting of Pennsylvania mail-in ballots that arrived after election day. Alito, considered conservative, ordered the state election commission to proceed with counting the mail-in ballots that arrived after election day but to do so separately.

Although the Supreme Court initially instructed to continue the counting, it appears to have left open the possibility in a later ruling to exclude Pennsylvania mail-in ballots arriving after election day from the final tally. The political media outlet The Hill reported that the mail-in ballots affected by the Supreme Court's order in Pennsylvania number about 3,000 to 4,000.

With 96% of the votes counted, the gap between Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump is over 20,000 votes, so even if these ballots are excluded, it is unlikely to overturn the outcome.

Pennsylvania has already been managing ballots received after election day separately from those received by election day. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar stated in a media interview the previous day that the number of mail-in ballots arriving after election day is very small, and the current count includes only those received by election day. In an earlier interview with CNN, Secretary Boockvar also said, "No matter what happens, I do not believe it will have a significant impact on this election race."

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