The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that states are allowed a grace period for collecting mail-in ballots, quashing a lawsuit that would have restricted voting by mail.
In 15 states and the District of Columbia, a ballot is valid if election officials receive it up to five days after Election Day. The 5-4 ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee permits states to count late-arriving mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a justice appointed by President Donald Trump who sided with the majority, wrote in her opinion that the question before the Supreme Court was “a narrow one about timing.” She wrote that federal laws dictate “the day when the electorate must make its choice” but do not set a deadline for when the ballots should be received.