by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

November 4, 2024

About 3,000 Cobb County voters who did not receive their mail-in ballots on time will not receive an extension beyond Election Day to cast their votes after a state Supreme Court ruling Monday.

The affected voters had filed for their absentee ballots ahead of the deadline, but as of Wednesday, they had not been mailed out, according to the county. In a statement, the county said the number of absentee ballot requests spiked ahead of last Friday’s request deadline, and after the Cobb’s contract with a vendor to print ballots ended, the county tried to print its own ballots, but its equipment did not work.

Three residents – two out-of-state college students and a blind Cobb County voter, all of whom said in-person voting would be difficult or impossible for them – filed suit against the county, and a lower court judge ruled that the ballots could be counted if they were returned by Nov. 8 and postmarked by Election Day.

The high court’s reversal means the 3,000 people will need to deliver their ballots to the Cobb County Elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday or vote in person.

The Republican National Committee asked the high court to put a stop to the practice, and RNC Chairman Michael Whatley celebrated the decision on X.

“Democrat-run Cobb County wanted to accept 3,000 absentee ballots AFTER the Election Day deadline,” he wrote. “We took this case to the Georgia Supreme Court. We just got word that we WON the case. Election Day is Election Day — not the week after. We will keep fighting, keep winning, and keep sharing updates.”

Fair Fight, the voting rights organization founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams, said people should not lose the chance to vote when they followed the rules but their local government messed up.

“All Georgians deserve the right to have their votes counted, especially when delays in ballot distribution occur through no fault of their own,” said Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo. “Today’s ruling means that Cobb County voters who faced delays due to administrative issues must return their ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be sure they will be counted. We urge voters to take immediate action to ensure their voices are heard: hand-deliver mail ballots to election offices. This election is crucial, and every vote matters.”

The 2020 presidential election came down to less than 12,000 votes in Georgia, and this year’s race could also be close. Both parties have prepared legions of lawyers to fight potential courtroom battles after the ballots are counted.

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