Supreme Court to weigh imposing new limits on mail-in ballots in a major election case

WASHINGTON — Taking up a contentious election issue with nationwide implications, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether federal law bars states from counting mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day

WASHINGTON — Taking up a contentious election issue with nationwide implications, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether federal law bars states from counting mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day.

The case pits Republican-led Mississippi, defending its election law that allows for mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted, against the Republican National Committee and the state's own Republican Party. The Libertarian Party of Mississippi also joined the challenge in opposing the law.

If the RNC's argument were applied nationwide, it would upend election law in many states, which count ballots that come in after an election as long as they were postmarked on time. Many of those laws were designed to ensure that overseas military members who submit ballots from afar have their votes counted.

Legal disputes over mail-in ballots are common. Until recently, expansion of absentee voting options was a bipartisan effort, but some Republicans have turned against it at the instigation of President Donald Trump, who has complained without evidence that it allows for elections to be "rigged."

A swift ruling could come in time to be applied in the 2026 midterm elections.