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As Election Day approaches, a wave of legal battles over voting practices is sweeping the nation. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a judge ruled Wednesday that voters can request and return mail ballots in person through Friday, siding with the Trump campaign. This ruling is part of a broader trend, with courts nationwide issuing last-minute decisions related to ballot access and election protocols.

Currently, there are 199 pending legal cases in 40 states concerning voting rights, reports Marc Elias, a voting rights attorney for the Democratic Party. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has been particularly active, filing multiple lawsuits challenging various voting procedures. One such lawsuit alleges that Fulton County, Georgia, has not hired enough Republican poll workers. In Virginia, the state's Supreme Court is reviewing an appeal regarding its voter rolls.

The legal landscape is expected to remain turbulent even after Election Day, especially in battleground states. If election results are close, a surge of lawsuits over ballot counting and election outcomes is anticipated, reminiscent of the 2020 elections when the Trump campaign launched extensive legal challenges. States like Arizona are already preparing for this possibility, with its court system directing judges to prioritize election-related lawsuits to avoid delays in certification.

Both Republican and Democratic parties are bracing for a flurry of legal activity. An RNC official revealed to ABC News that the party has mobilized 5,000 volunteer attorneys for Election Day. Meanwhile, an internal memo from Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, cited by ABC, claims it is "the most prepared campaign in history for what we face" regarding litigation.

Democrats have criticized the GOP for the surge in pre-election lawsuits, arguing that these actions aim to undermine confidence in the election results before they are even finalized. Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program, told ABC News, "We're seeing a record number of lawsuits filed before the election-nearly every day-in a seemingly coordinated push to use the legitimacy of the courts to lay the groundwork for discrediting an unfavorable result."

Many Republican-led lawsuits focus on alleged election irregularities and fraud, such as noncitizen voting and mail-in ballot concerns. However, evidence of widespread election fraud remains exceedingly rare. Despite this, Republicans have increased legal challenges and tightened voting rules since the 2020 election. Utilizing Trump's unfounded allegations of fraud, the GOP has filed lawsuits and enacted stricter voting regulations, which Democrats have contested in court.

The RNC announced that its litigation efforts would be a central strategy for the general election, launching a significant "election integrity" initiative with 100,000 staffers and volunteers. Chief Counsel Charlie Spies emphasized that the RNC legal team would work relentlessly to ensure election officials adhere to the rules and would not hesitate to take legal action if discrepancies arise.

In a notable decision, the Supreme Court allowed Virginia to remove 1,600 people from its voter rolls, highlighting the judiciary's pivotal role in the unfolding election drama.