In a 5-4 decision issued June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court in Watson v. RNC upheld Mississippi’s law allowing absentee ballots cast and postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within 5 days afterward. The Republican National Committee (plaintiffs) argued that federal law required all ballots to be physically in hand by Election Day, but the court ruled that federal law governs only when voters must cast their ballots, not when those ballots must arrive.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision in Watson v. RNC did exactly what the Constitution requires — it respected the authority of states – red, purple, and blue – to run their own elections,” noted Athena Strategies President Kathy Boockvar. “Five justices, from both sides of the aisle, upheld the core principle that if an eligible citizen casts their ballot on or before Election Day and it is received by the date established by the states, their vote must count. Administrative and logistical delays on the part of the United States Postal Service should not determine whether an American citizen’’s voice is heard.”
“This is not a blue-state or red-state issue: Red states like Alaska and Mississippi actively defended these laws, alongside many others,” Boockvar continued. “Millions of military, overseas, and domestic voters rely on the postal service to allow them to carry out their constitutional right to vote, and this decision upholds states’ safe practices that protect their ability to do so.”
Boockvar also noted that “operational changes and delays within the Postal Service are a well-documented reality, a challenge we dealt with firsthand during the 2020 election during the pandemic, and one that continues today with the transition to regional distribution hubs. The Court made the right decision to ensure that administrative logistics do not dictate the right to vote.”
Read the Watson decision here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1260_g3cn.pdf