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Military voters were at the heart of the Supreme Court’s mail-in ballot decision
The ruling protects ballots from active-duty military and overseas voters, with 13 other states and Washington using similar grace periods, the Court said.
- On Monday, June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld state grace periods for mail-in ballots in Watson v. RNC, rejecting challenges from the Republican National Committee regarding ballots received after Election Day.
- The Mississippi Republican Party and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi challenged Mississippi's 2020 law, arguing that counting ballots received after the deadline violates federal law, which they claim implies votes must be received by that date.
- Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts joined liberal justices to preserve the status quo, reasoning that the 1986 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act protects military and overseas voters relying on late-arriving mail.
- Thirteen other states and Washington allow similar grace periods, ranging from one day to 20 days; the Court concluded that invalidating these policies would disenfranchise active-duty military and their dependents facing late-arriving mail.
- Bipartisan veterans groups praised the decision, which protects voting access for veterans, rural residents, and individuals with disabilities who benefit from mail-in policies because in-person voting presents significant physical or logistical hurdles.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources38
Leaning Left9Leaning Right10Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
47% Center
L 25%
C 47%
R 28%
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