Factbox: Democrats and Republicans Clash Over Election Rules in Harris-Trump Face-off by Reuters

U.S. Presidential Election Showdown: Legal Battles Loom

The U.S. presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump is marked by numerous legal disputes regarding the voting process, which are expected to extend beyond Election Day on November 5.

Here’s a look at significant voting-related conflicts arising in seven key swing states, each playing a crucial role in the election outcome. These states collectively hold 94 of the 270 Electoral College votes necessary for a candidate to secure victory:

ARIZONA (11 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Democratic President Joe Biden
• Leadership: Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and a Republican-controlled legislature
• State laws preventing voter registration in multiple locations remain enforced due to a federal appeals court ruling. They permit county officials to cancel registrations of voters who have relocated out of state and criminalize assistance to out-of-state residents in voting. Critics say the laws disproportionately target voter registration efforts. A conservative legal organization has also filed a lawsuit to mandate that election officials verify registered voters’ citizenship. In a separate ruling, the state Supreme Court determined that 97,000 registered voters could not be disqualified because the state lacks evidence of their citizenship, as these individuals registered before the implementation of a law requiring proof of citizenship. Additionally, the Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit aiming to reduce voter registration and ballot drop-off options.

GEORGIA (16 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Biden
• Leadership: Republican Governor Brian Kemp and a Republican legislature
• The Republican-controlled state election board has mandated that ballots be counted manually to align the total votes with the number of voters, a move both Democratic and Republican officials warn could lead to delays and confusion during the counting. Increased powers for county officials to inspect vote results could allow Trump’s allies to contest results if he loses. Democrats are suing to challenge this policy, with a trial scheduled, and similar legal challenges are anticipated regarding the manual counting requirement. Efforts are also underway to overturn a 2021 election law overhaul that opponents claim suppresses turnout among Democratic-leaning constituencies.

MICHIGAN (15 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Biden
• Leadership: Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and a Democratic legislature
• The Republican National Committee has initiated multiple lawsuits contesting the state’s absentee ballot counting methods, and it has also sued to block veteran and small business agencies from participating in voter registration efforts.

NEVADA (6 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Biden
• Leadership: Republican Governor Joe Lombardo and a Democratic legislature
• The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee are attempting to compel officials to verify the citizenship of registered voters, arguing that the state is not doing enough to prevent non-citizen voting. Critics, including Trump’s allies, have claimed without substantial evidence that non-citizen voting could undermine election integrity.

NORTH CAROLINA (16 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Trump
• Leadership: Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and a Republican legislature
• The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit seeking to prohibit the acceptance of digital ID cards from the University of North Carolina at polling places, which could hinder student voting. A state court has denied this request, but the RNC is appealing. Additionally, Republicans are challenging the validity of absentee ballots that lack proper sealing.

PENNSYLVANIA (19 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Biden
• Leadership: Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and a divided legislature
• The state Supreme Court has ruled that mail ballots lacking the correct date on their outer envelope must be rejected. Advocacy groups claim this requirement is unnecessary and has rendered thousands of valid ballots invalid. The court is also deliberating whether provisional ballots by voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected must be counted. Election officials may face delays in processing mail ballots due to state law prohibiting early processing, which could lead to uncertainty similar to the fallout from the 2020 election.

WISCONSIN (10 Electoral College votes)

• 2020 Winner: Biden
• Leadership: Democratic Governor Tony Evers and a Republican legislature
• The State Supreme Court is reviewing a case from a conservative group aiming to eliminate mobile voting sites, arguing they give an unfair advantage to Democrats. The court is also deliberating on the ability of election workers to permit voters to correct mistakes on absentee ballots. Like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin may struggle to quickly declare a winner due to restrictions on processing absentee ballots before Election Day.

As the election draws near, these legal battles will shape the voting landscape across these critical states.