RNC Challenge to Mississippi's Mail-In Ballot Deadline to Be Heard by 5th Circuit

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1. GOP asks court to change voting rules in one state, with impact for all

GOP asks court to change voting rules in one state, with impact for all

The case in Mississippi is one example of a nationwide effort by Republicans to invalidate mail ballots over issues unrelated to whether they were cast by a legitimate voter.


Gary Wilson, right, a poll worker in a Rankin County precinct, hands an “I Voted” sticker to a person who filled out a ballot Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

By Patrick Marley and Colby Itkowitz
September 24, 2024 at 7:23 p.m. EDT

A panel of federal judges heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could upend the rules for counting a sliver of mail ballots in Mississippi just weeks before Election Day, with possible ramifications for all states.

At issue is a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they arrive up to five days after Election Day and are postmarked by Election Day or earlier. Seventeen other states and Washington, D.C., have laws allowing postmarked mail ballots to be counted if they arrive after Election Day, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

The case in Mississippi is one example of a nationwide effort by Republicans to invalidate mail ballots over issues unrelated to whether they were cast by a legitimate voter. Republicans say they want to ensure states strictly follow voting laws, while Democrats and voting rights advocates say Republicans are trying to throw out otherwise valid votes because Democrats have disproportionately embraced mail voting.

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By Patrick Marley
Patrick Marley writes about voting issues in the Upper Midwest for The Washington Post. He previously covered the Wisconsin Capitol for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.follow on X @patrickdmarley

By Colby Itkowitz
Colby Itkowitz is a national politics reporter for The Washington Post. She joined the Post in March 2014. Before coming to the Post, Colby was the D.C. correspondent for The (Allentown) Morning Call and a reporter at Congressional Quarterly.follow on X @colbyitkowitz