The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that election officials may count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, provided they were postmarked beforehand. The decision rejects a challenge brought by the Republican National Committee against a Mississippi state law, siding against national Republicans and the administration of Donald Trump.
The upheld Mississippi law allows mail-in ballots to be counted if they arrive within five business days of Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by that date. Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected arguments that federal laws preempt Mississippi's allowance of these late-arriving absentee ballots.
The ruling preserves grace periods for mail-in ballots in 30 states, including more than half of the states and the District of Columbia. By rejecting the Republican-led attack on these laws, the decision spares election officials from the task of changing ballot rules months before the midterms.