In its recent decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee (2026), the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the legality of a state mail-in voting system that allows the counting of ballots that are mailed before election day but not received until shortly after election day. "While federal law dictates when ballots must be cast," observed the majority opinion of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, "state law governs when they must be received." It was a clear rebuke to the Republican-led effort to eliminate a common form of voting by mail.
But if you thought that far-reaching decision would be the Supreme Court's final word on mail-in ballots this year, you may want to think again.
