(CNN) The Supreme Court on Monday granted a request from South Carolina Republicans to reinstate the state's witness-signature requirement on absentee ballots pending appeal. The court's order on the first day of its new term is a loss for the Democratic National Committee. The court said, however, that any ballots cast before it had acted, and received within two days of the order, cannot be rejected for failing to comply with the witness requirement. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch indicated they would not have counted those ballots. "This sends a strong signal that the Supreme Court is going to be wary of federal court-ordered changes close to the election, even those done to deal with burdens on voters created by the pandemic," said election law expert Rick Hasen, who serves as a CNN election law analyst.

Source: CNN October 06, 2020 01:30 UTC