Watson v. Republican National Committee · ¶103

The most on-point precedent is the Supreme Court of Montana’s 1944 decision in Maddox v. Board of State Can vassers, 116 Mont. 217, 149 P. 2d 112. Maddox concerned a Montana statute that allowed the State’s servicemembers to vote absentee in federal elections as long as officials received their ballots by the fourth Monday in December, several weeks after election day. Id., at 221, 149 P. 2d, at 114; 1943 Mont. Laws p. 172. The Montana court held that “in so far as [that provision] purports to extend beyond the election day the time within which voters’ ballots may be received by the election officials . . . it is in conflict” with the federal election-day statutes. 116 Mont., at 224, 149 P. 2d, at 115. Consistent with the election-law principles discussed above, the court recognized that a ballot was not “cast” until election officials received it. Id., at 223–224, 149 P. 2d, at 115;…

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