Trump Campaign, RNC File Lawsuit In Battleground State To Stop Counting Ballots Past Election Day

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit on Friday against the Nevada Secretary of State for allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after election day.

Nevada currently permits such ballots to be counted that are received up to four days after the election, according to the text of 2021 state legislation. The Trump campaign and the RNC, along with the Nevada Republican Party, announced its challenge to the ballot counting deadline in a press release, arguing it “undermines the integrity of our elections and unlawfully extends the election past the federal Election Day mandated by Congress.”

“Nevada’s ballot receipt deadline clearly violates federal law and undermines election integrity in the state,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. “Ballots received days after Election Day should not be counted — the RNC and our partners are suing to secure an honest election, support Nevada voters, and oppose unlawful schemes.”

Nevada saw one of the closest presidential elections of the 2020 cycle, with President Joe Biden winning by less than 34,000 votes. Trump is currently leading Biden in the RealClearPolitics average for the battleground state by 4.5 points.

Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada is also up for reelection in 2024, and is likely to face off against Republican Army veteran Sam Brown. The Cook Political Report shifted the incumbent’s race from the “Lean D” column to the “Toss-Up” category for 2024 on April 3.

The RNC currently has 83 election integrity lawsuits pending in 25 states, according to the press release. The GOP challenged Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson twice in March, once over voter registration rolls and another related to the handling of absentee ballots.