Episode description

On today’s “Post Reports,” we look into why Republicans are waging legal battles to disqualify mail-in ballots, and why rhetoric against mail voting might actually hurt their presidential candidate. 

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Since 2020, the Republican Party has waged a nationwide legal campaign to reject mail-in ballots.

From Wisconsin to North Carolina to Nevada, Republicans say much of their litigation is aimed at enforcement of election law, down to the letter. But critics see a strategy that has nothing to do with election integrity — and everything to do with disqualifying voters who cast ballots by mail, an overwhelming majority of whom support Democrats. 

At the same time, Republicans are also ramping up their get-out-the-vote operations, which include pushing their supporters to use mail-in ballots.

On today’s “Post Reports,” Elahe Izadi speaks with democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about Republicans’ efforts to get mail-in ballots thrown out in Pennsylvania, and about the have-it-both-ways strategy they’re employing in this election. 

And we hear from an election official in Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County — a GOP-leaning area in the center of the state — who’s sick of the fighting. 

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Thank you to Griff Witte and HyoJung Kim.  

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