The Republican National Committee has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to decline hearing a challenge to Mississippi’s mail-in voting law, in support of the Fifth Circuit’s decision to strike down the “grace period” that allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five days.
The RNC argues that counting ballots after Election Day dilutes valid votes and disproportionately harms Republican voters, emphasizing that only ballots received by Election Day comply with federal law and constitutional requirements.
The challenge began when the RNC and others sued to block Mississippi’s grace period, claiming it violates the Constitution’s Elections and Equal Protection Clauses and federal statutes mandating a uniform federal election day.
After a district court upheld the grace period in July 2024, the Fifth Circuit reversed that ruling in October 2024, declaring the grace period unlawful. The case was paused pending a Supreme Court review petition by Mississippi’s secretary of state in June 2025.
By asking the Supreme Court to decline review, the RNC is supporting the Fifth Circuit’s ruling that Mississippi’s law allowing ballots received after Election Day to count is invalid.
Read the RNC’s brief
