Republicans defeated at the Supreme Court as justices refuse to block Rhode Island from easing voting-by-mail rules

The United States Supreme Court has shot down a GOP request for an emergency stay to stop the suspension of witness and notary requirements for Rhode Island mail ballots, WPRI reports.

Rhode Island election officials can now send out mail ballots without the witness and notary requirements, which raised concern due to the coronavirus.

“Your health should never be the price of admission to our democracy,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea said in a statement. “Making it easier to vote safely from home by removing the burden of obtaining two witnesses or a notary is a common-sense step that will protect Rhode Islanders during this pandemic.”