It is ironic that Republicans are challenging in court the rule in Mississippi that allows for extended counting of mailed-in ballots.
It was a Republican-dominated state Legislature, after all, that passed the rule in the first place.
Nor was it an outlier. Mississippi is one of 19 states that accept late-arriving mail ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Mississippi, the extension is five business days.
The lawsuit — a similar one has been filed in North Dakota — claims that while Mississippi can have extended deadlines for state elections, it can’t for federal ones because such a provision runs counter to federal election law.
The courts will sort this out. If the lawsuit is successful, the plaintiffs — a consortium of state and national GOP organizations and individuals — may regret it, as it would seem to have the biggest impact on overseas military personnel, who tend to lean toward GOP candidates.
