The United States Supreme Court Says States Can Count Mail Ballots Received After Election Day

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states may continue counting certain mail ballots received after Election Day, as long as they were mailed on time under state law. The decision leaves in place voting rules already used in several states and rejects a legal challenge brought by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

The ruling clarifies that federal law does not require every mail ballot to arrive by Election Day to be counted. Instead, states can continue applying their own deadlines for receiving ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day.

Official.Entry into the United States is denied—even with a valid Mexican, Colombian, or Venezuelan passport—if this rule is not met

abre en nueva pestaña

Supreme Court upholds state grace periods for mail ballots

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s election law, which allows election officials to count mail ballots received up to five business days after Election Day if they were mailed by the legal deadline.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, said federal election law establishes the day on which elections are held but does not require every valid ballot to be received by that date. The ruling allows states with similar laws to continue using those procedures.

The decision also rejected arguments from the Republican National Committee, which claimed that ballots arriving after Election Day should not be counted under federal law.

What the ruling means for future elections

The decision does not create a nationwide rule requiring states to accept late-arriving mail ballots. Instead, it confirms that each state may continue following its own election laws when those ballots were mailed on or before Election Day.

Several states and the District of Columbia currently have grace periods that allow election officials to count eligible mail ballots received after Election Day, provided they meet the state’s mailing requirements.

For voters, the ruling means that existing mail ballot deadlines remain unchanged in states with these laws. However, election officials continue to recommend mailing ballots as early as possible to avoid delays that could affect whether they are counted.