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U.S. Supreme Court upholds mail‑in ballot grace periods
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5‑4 that states may count mail‑in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive up to five days later, upholding Mississippi’s law. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices, while Justice Samuel Alito dissented. The decision leaves intact similar grace‑period rules in roughly 30 states and territories, protecting votes from voters who mail ballots early but face postal delays, including military, rural and disabled voters.
Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump, called the ruling a “tremendous loss” and renewed calls for the SAVE America Act, a partisan bill that would require photo ID, proof of citizenship and sharply limit mail voting. The Court emphasized that federal election‑day statutes set the voting day but do not prescribe a receipt deadline, leaving the policy question to Congress and state legislatures.
The ruling avoids an immediate overhaul of state election procedures ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and is hailed by voting‑rights groups as a protection of voters’ voices.