Today, the Supreme Court ruled against the RNC in Watson v. Republican National Committee, rejecting Republicans’ latest attempt to disenfranchise eligible United States citizens. In this case, the RNC challenged a Mississippi state law allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within five days of the election to be counted. Grace periods like this one protect eligible voters from being disenfranchised by postal delays.
The DNC is using every tool at our disposal to protect mail-in voting. In Watson v. RNC, the DNC filed an amicus brief to defend the rights of voters to securely cast their ballots nationwide, especially working families, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and members of the military who rely on mail-in voting to make their voices heard.
In response, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
“Today, democracy prevailed. The DNC is proud to have stood with the State of Mississippi to defeat the RNC’s latest attack on Americans’ voting rights. The RNC’s lawsuit attempted to rip away democratically enacted safeguards for millions, including U.S. service members. Trump and Republicans are attacking our elections and trying to rig the system in their favor because they know the American people are ready to reject their chaos and corruption this November. The DNC will remain vigilant and use every tool at our disposal to protect every eligible voter’s access to the ballot box.”
Additional background below on the DNC’s legal actions:
- The DNC stood beside Mississippi voters since the RNC filed this lawsuit, and retained Don Verrilli, the former U.S. Solicitor General who successfully defended the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court, to helm its defense.
- Today’s decision establishes an important precedent to protect voters not just in Mississippi, but in each of the 29 states across the country that count ballots cast by Election Day that arrive soon thereafter.
- States have been counting ballots that arrive after Election Day since the Civil War, and Congress enacted laws setting a uniform Election Day more than a century ago. Only after President Trump blamed mail voting for his 2020 election loss did the RNC challenge state ballot receipt deadlines as violating the election-day statutes.
