The Georgia Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Cobb County cannot extend the deadline for counting about 3,000 absentee ballots that the county sent out just before Election Day.
The decision delivered a win for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The court sided with the RNC, overturning a lower court’s ruling that had allowed the county to extend the deadline until Friday. The Supreme Court’s decision mandates that only absentee ballots arriving by 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0000 GMT Wednesday) can be counted.
Last week, civil rights groups filed a lawsuit seeking to extend the deadline, arguing that Cobb County had violated state law by failing to send out approximately 3,000 absentee ballots in a timely manner. County officials claimed they were overwhelmed by a surge in requests.
However, the RNC argued that extending the deadline would violate state law. “Election Day is Election Day – not the week after,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley wrote on social media.
Cobb County, a large and diverse area in suburban Atlanta, voted for Democrat Joe Biden over Trump by a 14-point margin in the 2020 election. Biden won Georgia in 2020.
The Georgia Supreme Court ordered election officials to separate any ballots received after Election Day and set them aside. Voters who did not receive absentee ballots or lacked enough time to mail them can still vote in person on Tuesday.
Georgia remains one of seven key battleground states that could determine the outcome of the presidential race between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
