The Supreme Court issued its decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee (No. 24-1260) on June 29, 2026. In a 5-4 ruling authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett (joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson), the Court reversed the Fifth Circuit and held that federal election-day statutes do not preempt state laws allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted a few days later.
Mississippi’s law (ballots received up to five business days after Election Day) survives. Similar grace periods in roughly a dozen other states, including California’s seven-day window, are now clearly on solid legal ground.
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U.S. Supreme Court Source: Georgia Public Broadcasting / public domain news photo |
