The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case that could dramatically impact mail-in voting practices in over two dozen states.

The case, Watson v. Republican National Committee , challenges a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if received within five business days after an election. The Republican National Committee has argued this practice violates federal law under 3 U.S.C. § 1 , which establishes that the president shall be “appointed” on “election day.”

In October 2024, a Fifth Circuit panel ruled 3-0 that federal law requires ballots to be both cast by voters and received by state officials on election day, holding Mississippi’s law invalid. The court reasoned that three elements must occur on election day: official act

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