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11m ago

Supreme Court Signals Skepticism of Counting Mail Ballots After Election Day

Questions from conservative justices point to a ruling that could upend grace periods in more than a dozen states before the midterms.

Snow flurries fall outisde the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on March 12, 2026. Following record high temperatures the day before, Washington, DC, recieved snow flurries on Thursday.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC. The justices heard oral arguments March 23 in a case that could overturn laws giving grace periods for mail ballots in 14 states and Washington, D.C.
A voter drops off his mail-in ballot on Primary Day at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown on May 20, 2025.

Overview

  • The justices heard Watson v. RNC, a challenge to Mississippi’s rule that counts absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within five business days.
  • Several conservative justices pressed the challengers’ view that federal law requires ballots to be received by Election Day, while the three liberal justices stressed state authority and long‑standing practices for absentee voting.
  • A decision by late June could alter mail‑ballot rules in roughly 14 states plus Washington, D.C., reshaping procedures for overseas, military, and rural voters ahead of November.
  • The RNC and the Trump administration urged the Court to strike down post‑election receipt deadlines, and Mississippi and voting‑rights groups argued an election is when a voter makes a final choice, not when officials receive the ballot.
  • Election officials warned that eliminating grace periods could reject ballots mailed on time but delayed by the Postal Service, noting hundreds of thousands of such votes were counted in 2024 and that several states have already moved to tighten deadlines.