The Supreme Court is about to issue one of the most impactful election law rulings ahead of the 2026 midterms. The justices’ reactions to oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee (RNC) indicated that they may strike down the state’s law which allows mail-in ballots collected after election day to be counted.
Watson v. RNC concerns a Mississippi election law made during the pandemic. The law allows absentee ballots to be counted, provided they are postmarked by election day and arrive no later than five days after. Many conservatives have challenged the law, claiming that it conflicts with U.S. law mandating an official Election Day. RNC counsel Paul Clement argued the law could lead to “chaos and suspicions of impropriety,” should late ballots change election results.
The Court’s decision in Watson v. RNC will have important implications for how an election is defined. Mississippi claims that voting is an action completed when the voter mails their ballot, while the RNC asserts this is incompatible with current federal law. During oral arguments, Clement pointed out that the federal understanding of Election Day reflects an older view that ballots need to be cast and received on the same day.
President Trump has also pushed for restrictions and increased documentation for voting with the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification for voters, along with other procedures.
Should SCOTUS rule against Mississippi, the decision would require fourteen states and four other U.S. jurisdictions to require voters to factor in postal delivery time, possibly lowering overall turnout.
Senior Max Barton held a nuanced view, telling the Rover, “Some people, especially college students, can’t get to their polling places and should have a way to vote. The problem is that if you accept mail-in ballots after the election day … [i]t opens the door to some degree of dishonesty. Election Day is Election Day, but I think you should get an exception if you’re attending university or [are] far away from your home polling center.”
Barton added, “I don’t think anyone should [receive] an absentee ballot; there should be an application-based system where those who need that form of voting can receive [one]. In my view, there’s something uniquely American about people going to their specific polling center, so I think it ought to be a federal matter.”
Junior J.C. Cruz opposed attempts to abrogate mail-in voting, stating, “A large portion of the voter base is young, college voters. The past campaigns of Biden and Harris were mainly composed of young, college-educated people. If you reduce the ability of college students to participate in an election, it could sway the voting outcomes in elections.”
Cruz added, “I think there should just be checks and balances on the system, but not its removal.”
The Supreme Court will likely release its decision in mid-June.
Zachary Nicholson is a first-year finance student. He can be reached at znichols@nd.edu.