The Economist asks:
In Watson v. Republican National Committee (RNC), will the Supreme Court rule that Mississippi's statute allowing election ballots received after an election day to be counted is preempted by federal law?
Closing Jul 01, 2026 07:01AM UTC
In 2020, the State of Mississippi amended its election laws to allow "absentee ballots 'postmarked on or before the date of the election and received by the registrar no more than five (5) business days after the election,'" which led to the current lawsuit in which the RNC and others claim that counting ballots received after election day is contrary to federal law regarding elections and therefore preempted (Mississippi Today, Cornell - Preemption). The district court rejected the argument, but the Fifth Circuit agreed and ruled that Mississippi's law was preempted (Fifth Circuit Decision, SCOTUSblog). The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in its 2025 term, but if it does not, the question will close as "No." If the Court decides this case without addressing this question's particular issue or issues of law, the question will close as "No." A decision that any aspect of Mississippi's law is preempted will count.
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