The Supreme Court has upheld a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day to be counted, sparking a strong reaction from President Donald Trump. The ruling, which was made in the case of Watson v. RNC, has dealt a blow to Trump's push for stricter election rules. The decision has also prompted a rebuke from one of the Republican senators Trump singled out in a scathing response.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump nominee, played a key role in the decision, writing that as long as Election Day is the statutorily required date on which a vote is submitted, "election-day statutes do not set a deadline for ballot receipt." This opinion has been met with criticism from Trump, who has called the case a "tremendous loss" for voters' rights. Trump has also urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require nationwide voter ID and essentially ban no-excuse mail-in balloting.
The SAVE America Act, led by Rep. Chip Roy in the House and Sen. Rick Scott in the Senate, has been a point of contention among lawmakers. Trump has stated that there is no excuse for politicians to be against the bill's requirements, which include voter-ID, proof-of-citizenship, and only distributing mail-in ballots to military members, the sick and disabled, and those voters traveling away from their home precinct on Election Day. However, some senators, including Bill Cassidy, have pushed back against Trump's claims, citing their own support for the bill.
Cassidy, a co-sponsor of the SAVE Act, has expressed incredulity at Trump's suggestion that he opposes the bill. The Louisiana Republican has stated that he is in agreement with Trump on the bill's contents, but has also emphasized the need to prioritize other important legislation, such as a now-paused Housing bill. Meanwhile, some Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman, have signaled a willingness to support a pared-down version of the bill that would require voter ID.
The Supreme Court's decision in Watson v. RNC has significant implications for election rules and voter access. If the Senate were to approve the House-passed version of the SAVE Act, it could potentially upend or moot parts of the Court's decision. The debate over election rules is likely to continue, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle weighing in on the issue. As the conversation around election reform continues, it remains to be seen how the SAVE America Act will fare in Congress.
