U.S. Supreme Court allows easing of Rhode Island voting restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday left in place a lower-court ruling that relaxes voting restrictions in Rhode Island during the coronavirus pandemic.

The justices rejected an emergency request made by the Republican National Committee and the state's Republican Party. The decision means that mail-in ballots will not, as usual, have to be accompanied by the signatures of two witnesses or one notary.

The order said three of the nine justices, conservatives Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, would have granted the request.