politics
Supreme Court Upholds Mississippi Law Counting Mail-In Ballots Up to Five Days After Election Day
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday that states may count absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day even if received afterward. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion in the Mississippi case. The decision applies to similar laws in more than a dozen states.
Jun 27, 2:07 AM·1m read14 sources
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld Mississippi's mail-in ballot law that permits absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to five days later. The 5-4 ruling came in Watson, Mississippi Secretary of State v.
Republican National Committee. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor. Four justices dissented.
Barrett stated in the opinion that federal law does not require mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. The decision clarifies that states retain authority to set their own receipt deadlines for mail ballots provided they are postmarked by Election Day.
It extends to mail-in ballot laws in more than a dozen states.
