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Georgia Supreme Court revokes deadline extension for voters who cast their ballots late
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Georgia Supreme Court revokes deadline extension for voters who cast their ballots late

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that thousands of voters whose mail-in ballots were delayed will not have extra time to return their ballots, in a decision won by the Republican National Committee.

The court’s ruling overturned a lower judge’s decision to extend mail-in ballots to 3,000 voters after Cobb County election officials admitted they missed a deadline to send them out.

The deadline to receive mail-in ballots in Georgia is Election Day; However, the lower judge had given these voters a deadline to have their ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by November 8, the same deadline for overseas ballots.

The RNC had appealed the decision, saying it was a violation of election law and that voters had other ways to vote, including in person.

The Georgia Supreme Court ordered the Cobb board to “keep separate” absentee ballots from voters received after the Election Day deadline but before Nov. 8 “in a safe, secure and sealed container separate from other ballots.”

Cobb County was previously ordered to return all overdue ballots by express shipping and overnight return envelopes by Nov. 1.

The court also ordered that the board notify voters via email, text or public notice of the change.