Supreme Court Weighs Mail Ballot Deadlines

0:00It's March 23rd. This is Durham News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Corey with the story. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether states can keep counting male ballots that arrive after Election Day. All 50 states require a ballots to be postmarked by Election Day, but 14 states allow a grace period of up to several weeks for those votes to. Reach election offices. Investigations and libertarians are challenging Mississippi's law in this case, which could force changes ahead of the 2026 midterms. Just as Brett Kavanaugh and others on the conservative side, press lawyers on the issue during oral arguments, questioning if lay ballots undermine. Election finality. The Republican side argued against grace periods based on federal law from 1845 that sets Election Day. Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants an exception for military and overseas voters. Election officials in states like California worry a ban could overload systems, especially

1:02for same-day registrants whose ballots often get counted later. In Alaska, remote communities rely on the 10-day grace period due to spot-email service, and leaders there say would hit them hardest. The case came up through the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where Trump appointees struck down Mississippi's rule. A final decision should come by late June, giving states time to adjust rules. This ruling could reshape mail voting in 13 states plus the District of Columbia and affect military ballots in 15 more, setting the stage for tighter deadlines nationwide.