The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant ruling Monday that keeps intact mail-in ballot policies used in several states, rejecting an effort by Republicans to require that mailed ballots arrive by Election Day in order to be counted. The closely divided decision allows states to continue accepting ballots that reach election officials after Election Day, provided those ballots were mailed before the legal deadline.
The high court ruled 5-4 against a lawsuit brought by the Republican National Committee, concluding that Mississippi’s existing election law does not violate the federal statute establishing Election Day. The decision preserves election procedures that have been in place in multiple states and removes the possibility of major rule changes before upcoming federal elections.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion. She was joined by the court’s three liberal justices as well as two fellow conservatives, creating an unexpected coalition on one of the nation’s most closely watched election law disputes.
