Senators: Arkansas' voter registration deadline defies federal law

Two Democratic senators say nine states, including Arkansas, are violating federal law with their mail-in voter registration deadlines for the November election, potentially disenfranchising thousands of people by blocking applications up to three days earlier than other states.

Federal law requires mail in registrations to be postmarked 30 days before the election. But that falls on a Sunday this year, followed by the federal Columbus Day holiday.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Patrick Leahy of Vermont say all states should allow postmarks on the Tuesday after the long holiday weekend.

The senators sent a letter this week to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission asking for its intervention. The other states they cited are Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and Washington.

Upcoming Events