Plain-English summary
Court allows Mississippi to count absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day but received within five days
The Court held that federal election-day statutes do not bar Mississippi from counting absentee ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and received up to five days later. The Fifth Circuit judgment was reversed and the case remanded.
Why this matters
The decision clarifies how federal election-day statutes interact with state rules for counting absentee ballots. It affects how long states can accept mailed ballots and helps settle disputes over whether late-arriving but timely-mailed ballots can be counted, which can be decisive in close races.
Who may feel it
- State election officials and legislatures
- Voters who use absentee or mail-in ballots
- Political parties and campaigns
- Courts handling election disputes
Key questions
- Do the federal statutes that set Election Day force states to require that ballots be physically received on that day?