Joshua Solomon reports for the Times Union that state Supreme Court Justice Christina L. Ryba rejected on Dec. 28 an attempt by Rep. Elise Stefanik and the Republican Party to temporarily suspend a new state law allowing any registered voter in New York to cast their ballot early by mail. The Republicans argue that the law violates the constitution, and will now make their case to an appellate court in Albany. Democrats in the legislature passed, and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed, the law allowing any registered voter to vote by mail. Before, voters needed an excuse to vote by mail, such as being away in the military. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state allowed temporary voting by mail without any major problems. But Stefanik and the other Republicans say a constitutional amendment must be passed to allow voting by mail. The judge, though, ruled that the Republicans did not demonstrate they would face “irreparable harm” under the new law. At the same time that they are challenging the issue in court, Stefanik and the New York Republicans have been pushing “legal ballot harvesting” and encouraging its constituents to enroll to vote by mail to win the 2024 elections. Read more about this story in the Times Union.