U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to Mississippi's mail-in ballot rule, New York Times reports
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Mississippi’s counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day—a case that could upend mail-in rules in dozens of states, creating chaos ahead of the 2026 elections, the New York Times reported today.
The case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, asks the justices to determine the meaning of “Election Day.” The Times (requires subscription) noted that the case “is a potential blockbuster and adds to the court’s other elections and voting cases for the term, which include a case about who can sue to challenge Illinois’ mail-in ballot rules and a challenge to the Louisiana congressional district map that could gut a remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act.”
The Republican National Committee challenged Mississippi’s mail-in ballot rules, arguing that Congress intended for voting to take place on a single Election Day and that allowing the counting of ballots that arrive days later undermined election integrity and the public’s trust in the vote.
The State of Mississippi’s position is that Congress only set a date by when voters must make their choice, not the date by when ballots must arrive, according to the Times report.
Image: Election workers count absentee ballots at the Hinds County Courthouse in 2023 (credit Michael Goldbert/AP via the New York Times)