Mail-In Ballot Grace Period
Supreme Court Rules 5-4 to Allow Counting of Mail-In Ballots Received After Election Day
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The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 29, 2026, that states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, handing a major defeat to President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee Reuters. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices.
The case, *Watson v. Republican National Committee*, centered on a Mississippi law allowing absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive up to five business days later and still be counted Reuters. The ruling protects similar laws in roughly 30 states and Washington, D.C., just months before the 2026 midterm elections.
What the Court Actually Decided — and Why
Barrett's majority opinion focused on a simple question: does federal law say when a ballot must be *received*? Her answer was no. "Nothing in the federal election-day statutes requires ballots to be received by election day," she wrote Magnolia Tribune. Because federal law is silent on receipt deadlines, she concluded that states have the power to set their own rules under the Constitution's Elections Clause.
The case turned on laws passed in 1845 and 1872 that set a single uniform Election Day The Nation. The RNC argued those laws define an "election" as finished only when the state has the ballot in hand. Barrett and the majority disagreed, ruling that the act of "electing" is done by the voter — when they cast and postmark the ballot, not when it arrives at an office.
Alito's Sharp Dissent: 'Election Day Means One Day'
Justice Samuel Alito led the four-justice dissent, joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh Reuters. Alito argued that Congress meant exactly what it said when it set a single national Election Day. By letting different states use different receipt windows, he said, the Court is erasing the "single day" mandate Congress intended nearly 200 years ago.
Trump had publicly backed the challenge, calling grace periods a "scam" that turns Election Day into "election month" The Nation. Republican strategists warned that the ruling "endorses the chaos" of late ballot counting and could erode public trust in quick, clean results.
30 States Protected — What This Means for November 2026
A ruling against Mississippi would have forced roughly 30 states and D.C. to overhaul their election laws before November's midterms. States like California allow ballots to arrive up to 7 days after Election Day. Illinois has a similar window. Both states can now keep those rules in place without legal risk Voting Rights Lab.
The ruling also cushions the blow of a recent U.S. Postal Service shake-up. USPS consolidated regional processing facilities in 2025, creating longer and less predictable delivery times. Because voters are protected by grace periods, a slow postmark or delayed delivery can no longer cost them their vote California State PTA.
A Rare Roberts-Barrett Break From the Conservative Bloc
The 5-4 split was unusual. Roberts and Barrett joined the court's three liberal justices rather than the four conservatives. Legal analysts noted this mirrors past cases where Roberts sided against aggressive legal theories to protect the Court's reputation Harvard Law Today. Nicholas Stephanopoulos of Harvard Law called it a "textualist approach" — Barrett used conservative legal tools to reach a pro-voting result.
The Brennan Center for Justice called the decision a "win for voters," saying a contrary ruling would have "unfairly disenfranchised" millions who rely on mail voting — including military members, seniors, and people in rural areas far from a post office Reuters. The ruling also signals a limit to theories that would give state lawmakers unchecked power to restrict voting without federal oversight.
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