Top US court refuses to change Wisconsin ballot rules

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US Supreme Court ruled Monday refusing to extend the deadline for absentee ballots in Wisconsin, which is a victory for Republicans a day before President Donald Trump plans to visit the northern state.

In a 5-3 vote by justices, the top US court refused to reinstate a lower court order, which called for mail-in ballots to be counted if they were received up to six days before the election day. A federal appeals court had earlier put the lower court's order on hold.

The voting came just before the US Senate started voting on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the Supreme Court.

As the Nov. 3 presidential election looms, many Americans continue to cast their ballots via mail, known as absentee ballots.

Democrats have argued that the high number of absentee ballots, in addition to health and safety concerns due to COVID-19, make it necessary to extend the period for absentee ballot count.

Republicans, on the other hand, opposed extending the deadline by claiming that American voters had plenty of time to cast their ballots by mail and regulations should not be changed so close to the election.

In the state of Wisconsin, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading Trump by eight points, 52% to 44%, according to a recent poll by CNBC conducted on Oct. 16-19.

In the 2016 presidential election, Trump surprisingly won the Badger state and its 10 electoral votes by a narrow margin of 0.77% as he gained 47.22% of votes against Hillary Clinton's 46.45%.

Trump returns to the state Tuesday in West Salem, where he will deliver remarks at a fairgrounds' race track.

The Tuesday campaign rally is part of a five-stop tour in the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin.