Trending Now - Supreme Court to Review Mail Ballot Deadlines Amid Voting Disputes

WHO:

President Trump

Republican National Committee (RNC)

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson

Kristin Connelly, clerk-recorder and registrar of voters for Contra Costa County, California

Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project

Solicitor General D. John Sauer

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose

U.S. Department of Justice

National Conference of State Legislatures

WHAT:

The Supreme Court is set to review the case Watson v. RNC regarding mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving after the deadline.

Mississippi law allows mail ballots received up to five days after Election Day to be counted if postmarked by Election Day.

Four states (Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio, and Utah) passed laws in 2025 eliminating grace periods for mail ballots.

In the November 2024 general election, Contra Costa County received 12,223 mail ballots during California's seven-day grace period.

A total of 467,835 mail ballots were cast in the November 2024 general election.

WHERE:

Washington, D.C. (Supreme Court)

Mississippi (specific state law in question)

Contra Costa County, California

Ohio (state law changes)

WHEN:

The Supreme Court will hear the case on March 22, 2026.

A decision is expected by the end of June or early July 2026.

The executive order from Trump regarding mail-in voting was signed in March 2025.

The lawsuits challenging Mississippi's ballot-receipt deadline were filed in 2024.

WHY:

President Trump claims that voting by mail is "corrupt as hell" and seeks to curtail it.

The legal challenge is based on federal statutes from the 1800s that set a uniform Election Day.

The RNC argues that allowing ballots to be counted after Election Day undermines election integrity.

HOW:

The Trump administration attempted to pressure states to eliminate mail ballot grace periods through an executive order.

The Justice Department threatened lawsuits to compel states to change their mail ballot deadlines.

The Supreme Court's review is prompted by a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that sided with the Republicans.

(UPDATED March 22, 2026 13:19 UTC)

Today, the Supreme Court is set to hear the case Watson v. RNC, which addresses the counting of mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving after the deadline, a matter that has drawn attention from President Trump and various state officials. Mississippi law permits mail ballots to be counted if received up to five days after Election Day, while four states have recently eliminated grace periods entirely, raising concerns about election integrity. A decision from the Court is expected by the end of June or early July, following a legal challenge rooted in federal statutes from the 1800s that aim to maintain a uniform Election Day.