Key legal battles that may shape US polls outcome

TEXAS DRIVE-THROUGH VOTING DUEL

A federal judge in Texas on Monday denied a bid by Republicans to toss more than 127,000 votes already cast at drive-through voting sites in Houston, a Democratic-leaning area. Similar challenges have been shot down by the Texas Supreme Court, most recently on Sunday. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said they would appeal the decisions. Harris County, home to about 4.7 million people, is the third most populous county in the United States.

MINNESOTA BALLOT DEADLINE EXTENSION NIXED

A federal appeals court on Thursday said Minnesota's plan to count absentee ballots received after Election Day was illegal, siding with Republicans in the battleground state. The court said the deadline extension was an unconstitutional maneuver. The 8th Circuit sent the case back to a lower court and instructed it to require Minnesota election officials to identify and "segregate" absentee ballots received after Nov. 3. Those ballots would not be counted if a final judgment is entered in the Republicans' favor.

WISCONSIN CAN'T COUNT MAIL-IN BALLOTS AFTER NOV 3

Wisconsin election officials cannot count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a conservative majority of the US Supreme Court ruled on Oct. 26. The 5-3 ruling left in place a decision by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which said it was too close to Election Day to make significant modifications to the voting process.

FLORIDA RESTRICTS EX-FELONS' RIGHT TO VOTE

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September that Florida could require felons to pay fines, restitution and legal fees they owe before they regain their right to vote. Former felons in Florida are more likely to register as Democrats, according to an analysis published last month by the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald and ProPublica. Nearly 900,000 Floridians with felony convictions will be unable to vote in the election because of the decision.

NORTH CAROLINA BALLOT EXTENSION LEFT IN PLACE

The US Supreme Court on Thursday left in place North Carolina's extension of the deadline to receive mail-in ballots. The state election board, citing potential US Postal Service mail delivery delays, opted to allow absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrived up to nine days later. The justices denied a request from Republican state lawmakers to put on hold an agreement made by state election officials that allowed the extension. One day earlier, the justices rebuffed a similar request by Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee.

PENNSYLVANIA CAN ACCEPT MAIL-IN BALLOTS AFTER NOV 3

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that officials in the closely fought state could accept mail-in ballots three days after the Nov. 3 election, as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. The US Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to review the decision on an expedited basis. The Supreme Court could still revisit the dispute and rule on the merits of the state court's ruling after the election. Republicans did prevail on one key issue at Pennsylvania's high court. Interpreting a state law, the court said officials must throw out "naked ballots" — ballots that arrive without inner "secrecy envelopes."