politics
Supreme Court Allows States to Count Late Mail Ballots
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 29 upheld Mississippi's law allowing non-military mail-in ballots received after Election Day. The Alaska Supreme Court issued a separate ruling the same day on a Senate ballot challenge.
DA
abcnews.go.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 29 that states may count non-military mail-in ballots received days or weeks after Election Day. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the Court's three liberal justices.
The decision upheld Mississippi's law, enacted in 2020, that permits late receipt of mail ballots. Fourteen states currently allow such counting, including Mississippi, West Virginia, and Texas. Kansas, Ohio, and Utah each passed laws in the past year to end post-Election Day deadlines.
On the same day, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Dan J. Sullivan may remain on the 2026 U.S. Senate ballot despite sharing a name with incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Alaska uses a jungle primary and ranked-choice voting system.
The incumbent faces a tight race against former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who signed the 2020 law, posted on X after the ruling calling on the legislature to repeal it and require mail-in ballots to arrive by 5 p.m.
On Election Day. The SAVE America Act, which would require nationwide voter ID and proof of citizenship, remains pending in the U.S. Senate. Honest Elections Project Action filed amicus briefs in both cases.
As of July 4, almost no Republican-led states have strong upfront proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration. California, an all-mail state, allows ballots up to one week after Election Day and saw delayed results in its June 2026 gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral contests.
