A federal judge in Mississippi has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee that aimed to prevent the state from counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after. This ruling by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. marks the second recent dismissal of such a lawsuit, with another federal judge in Nevada also rejecting similar claims.
In his ruling, Judge Guirola stated that Mississippi's procedure for counting lawfully cast absentee ballots aligns with federal law and does not violate any election statutes. The lawsuit, filed against Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson and six local election officials, argued that allowing ballots received after Election Day to be counted dilutes the impact of timely ballots.
