The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge from Donald Trump regarding the ability of states to count mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day.
The ruling preserves the legal framework for how various states handle late-arriving votes, preventing a federal mandate that would have invalidated grace periods in multiple jurisdictions.
Trump argued that the practice of counting ballots after the close of polls violated the Constitution. However, the Court held that states possess the authority to establish their own ballot-counting deadlines [1, 2]. This decision ensures that more than 12 states can keep their post-election grace periods for mail ballots [1].
The ruling was issued on June 24, 2024 [2]. The decision effectively ends the legal effort to restrict the counting window for midterm ballots through the federal court system.
Trump responded to the decision by criticizing the outcome. "This injustice cannot be allowed to stand," Trump said.
The court's refusal to intervene means that state laws governing the receipt of mail-in votes remain in effect. These laws vary by state, but the ruling confirms that the federal judiciary will not override state-level discretion on these specific administrative deadlines.
“The Court held that states possess the authority to establish their own ballot-counting deadlines.”
This ruling reinforces the principle of state sovereignty over election administration. By declining to set a national standard for ballot deadlines, the Supreme Court maintains a decentralized system where individual states determine the balance between finality of results and voter access.
