Supreme Court skeptical of laws counting mail-in ballots after election day

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared poised to overturn laws in 29 states that allow mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received later, challenging a practice widely embraced by voters and politicians.
• The case from Mississippi highlighted the divide, where a bipartisan state legislature had approved a five-day grace period for counting late-arriving ballots, but conservative justices expressed skepticism about the potential for ballot recalls and election integrity.
• Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett raised concerns about the theoretical possibility of voters "recalling" ballots through carriers like the USPS or FedEx, despite state assurances to the contrary.
• The court's division also reflected broader questions about how to evaluate new election procedures, with liberal justices defending their validity and criticizing the Trump administration's arguments as misleading.
• Overturning Mississippi's law could significantly affect rural voters and military personnel voting from abroad, highlighting the broader implications of the court's decision on mail-in voting rights.