Supreme Court Backs Mississippi Mail Ballot Law in 5-4 Ruling as Barrett Draws Conservative Backlash
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 29
Supreme Court Backs Mississippi Mail Ballot Law in 5-4 Ruling as Barrett Draws Conservative Backlash
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 29
Summary
A 5-4 Supreme Court ruling let Mississippi count mail ballots received after Election Day if they were postmarked by the deadline, handing Republicans a defeat in their challenge to the state's grace period.
Barrett's majority opinion said federal law fixes when voters must cast their choice, not when election officials must receive ballots, leaving states broad discretion over ballot-processing rules.
Roberts joined Barrett and the court's three liberal justices, while Alito dissented with Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, arguing late-counted ballots could undermine confidence in election integrity.
Trump, Republican lawmakers and conservative activists blasted Barrett after the decision and renewed calls for the SAVE Act, which would tighten voter ID and citizenship-verification rules.
How will the USPS's new postmark policy affect ballots, even with the Supreme Court's grace period ruling?
Beyond postmarks, what technologies could improve the security and tracking of mail-in ballots for future elections?
What new challenges do states face with the proposed federal rule requiring them to share voter lists with the USPS?
Supreme Court’s 5-4 Ruling Backs Mississippi Law Allowing Ballots Received After Election Day
Overview
On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five days, a rule created by the state’s Republican-led legislature during the pandemic. The Republican National Committee challenged this law, arguing that federal law requires ballots to be received by Election Day. Their concerns included the risk that late-arriving ballots could shift election outcomes and undermine trust in results. Despite a previous ruling against the grace period, the Supreme Court’s decision supports states’ flexibility in handling mail-in ballots, aiming to balance voter access with election integrity.