Overview
- The Supreme Court heard Watson v. RNC on Monday, a challenge to Mississippi’s rule that counts mail ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within five business days.
- Several conservative justices questioned whether federal laws setting a single Election Day allow counting ballots that arrive later, while the three liberal justices stressed state control and established absentee practices.
- Mississippi argued voters meet the federal deadline by mailing on time, but the RNC and the U.S. solicitor general said ballots must be received by Election Day to avoid confusion and fraud claims.
- A decision expected by late June or July could force more than a dozen states and Washington, D.C., to tighten deadlines before the midterms, and Washington state says about 127,000 ballots in 2024 arrived after Election Day but were counted due to on‑time postmarks.
- Coverage reflected sharp divides, with right-leaning outlets emphasizing fraud risks and a poll favoring receipt-by-day rules, and other reports warning of lost votes for military, elderly, disabled, and workers who rely on mail voting.