The Supreme Court ruled that states can choose to have mail-in ballots delivered after Election Day if they were voted on or before Election Day.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 93%
Badlands MediaSep 16, 2026
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Watson v. RNC (June 29, 2026) that states may count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received afterward, upholding Mississippi's five-day grace period. The claim's wording about ballots being cast on or before Election Day matches the sources' 'postmarked by Election Day' standard, and the post's report that Mississippi won is accurate.
What was said
… I don't know if you saw this week, but Fox News literally advised their entire network, on the day after the speech, do not talk about the speech. That's how successful they've been, which is zero. They've been a complete failure. That case in the Supreme Court about mail ballots and whether states could choose to have them delivered, received after Election Day, if they were voted on or before Election Day the states won. The state of Mississippi, who was defending it, won. So those states that choose to have ballots come in after Election Day still can choose to do so under the Constitution. …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports the Court backed state laws that count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, rejecting a challenge to Mississippi's five-day grace period.[1]
Supports. The AP reports the Court ruled that states can count mailed ballots arriving after Election Day, preserving grace-period rules in nearly 30 states.[2]
Supports. The Supreme Court's own filing and Alaska's Division of Elections confirm ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if received later, with timing set by state law.[4][5]
Supports. Justice Barrett's majority opinion states the election-day statutes do not set a deadline for ballot receipt, so they do not prevent states from counting ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterward.[6][7]
Context. The 'voted on or before Election Day' phrasing is a loose paraphrase of the 'postmarked by Election Day' standard, a minor imprecision that does not change the holding.[3]
Sources
7 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 2 tier 2
- 1US Supreme Court endorses grace periods for mail-in ballotsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Supreme Court ruling gives a reprieve to states with grace periods for receiving mail ballotsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Supreme Court says states can count postmarked ballotspolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 4Supreme Court of the United Statessupremecourt.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 5States may count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day ...elections.alaska.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 6Supreme Court upholds grace periods for mail-in ballotsnpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 7Supreme Court says states can count mail ballots that ...cbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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