Experts are predicting that more than a million vote-by-mail ballots could be rejected in the upcoming presidential election.
That’s based on projected vote-by-mail totals and typical rates for mail-in ballot rejection in an election. More than 70 million people are expected to vote-by-mail in this election and 1 to 2 percent of mailed ballots are rejected in every presidential election due to signature irregularities, improper procedures, or other disqualifying reasons.
In a report from NBC News sounding the alarm about the potential election-shifting problem, one expert compared it to the 2000 election, which was ultimately handed to George W. Bush by a favorable Supreme Court after improperly counted ballots in Florida made the race too close to call.
“The vote-by-mail ballot rejections are going to be the hanging chads of 2000," said University of Florida political science professor Daniel Smith.
The article went on to say that mail-in ballot counts could be even more chaotic in states that don’t regularly see a large amount of voting by mail. If a recent Supreme Court decision is any indication, the conditions won’t be favorable for anyone looking to extend vote-counting periods. The Court recently ruled against allowing Wisconsin officials to accept ballots after election day, in spite of the strain on the USPS and the increase in voting via the post due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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