The Supreme Court will allow absentee ballots in North Carolina to be received and counted up to nine days after Election Day, in a win for Democrats.
The justices on Wednesday refused to disturb a decision by the State Board of Elections to lengthen the period from three to nine days, pushing back the deadline to Nov. 12.
The board’s decision was part of a legal settlement with a union-affiliated group. Under the Supreme Court’s order, mailed ballots postmarked on or before Election Day must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 in order to be counted.
The decision stands in contrast with a decision made by the Supreme Court earlier in the week not to extend the deadline in Pennsylvania for the state to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day.