The Supreme Court upholds grace periods for mail-in ballots, siding against the GOP

Voters drop off their mail-in ballots in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 4, 2024. Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Mississippi law that allows election officials to count mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after it. The ruling is a loss for the Republican Party, which brought the case, ahead of this year's midterm elections. Eighteen states and territories , including Mississippi, have such mail ballot grace periods. Most of the states are Democratic-led, including California, Illinois and New York. A dozen additional states have grace periods for ballots returning from overseas, like from military members. These grace periods have historically provided voters time to get their absentee ballots to officials in case there are any issues with the Postal Service — as well as any other unforeseen issues, such as weather events. But Republicans have been fighting these grace periods in recent years — an effort led by President Trump. Ahead of the 2024 election, the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign filed legal challenges — including one against Mississippi's law — alleging that these grace periods violate the Constitution. They argued that Congress sets the end of an election, not states. …