Ruling nixing vote-by-mail in Delaware on hold during appeal

DOVER, Del. - A state judge has halted the implementation of a ruling he issued last week declaring Delaware's new vote-by-mail law is unconstitutional and that voters cannot mail in their ballots in the upcoming November election. 

Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook on Monday granted a motion by elections officials to stay his ruling pending an expedited appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court.

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The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on Oct. 5. 

Cook says his stay will allow elections officials to process mail-in voting applications and prepare ballots, but that they are not allowed to send the mail-in ballots to voters.