Padilla Statement on SCOTUS Protecting Vote By Mail and Absentee Voters

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee with jurisdiction over federal elections, issued a statement after the Supreme Court ruled that states are allowed to count ballots received after Election Day. In a 5-4 decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee the Supreme Court held that nothing in the federal election-day statutes requires ballots to be received by Election Day, in the case of Mississippi’s state law which allows ballots to be received up to 5 days post-Election Day if postmarked by Election Day. “Today’s decision is a victory for voting rights and a rejection of Trump’s attacks on mail and absentee voters. “Our democracy works best when as many eligible voters participate and when every eligible vote is counted. For decades, Congress and states like California have worked to expand voting rights and access while keeping elections safe and secure — and that includes states exercising the right to accept eligible voters’ ballots postmarked on or before Election Day. “While we continue to see unprecedented efforts to interfere with elections from the Trump Administration, it is a relief to see federal courts make clear that these attacks on mail and absentee voting are clearly illegal and unconstitutional.” ###