An predetermination idiosyncratic sorts mail-in ballots connected predetermination night, Nov. 5, 2024, astatine the Washoe County registrar of voters bureau successful Reno. Photo by: Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press File (2024)
By Ava Chatlosh (contact)
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford connected Monday framed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling connected late-arriving message ballots arsenic different triumph for Nevada’s mail-voting system.
The Supreme Court connected Monday upheld Mississippi’s instrumentality allowing predetermination officials to number message ballots postmarked by Election Day but received up to 5 days later, rejecting a Republican-backed effort to onslaught down the grace period.
The 5-4 ruling preserves akin laws successful Nevada and astatine slightest 17 different states and territories, a effect that Aguilar and Ford rapidly formed arsenic a triumph for Nevada voters and authorities power implicit elections.
Aguilar, a Democrat seeking reelection arsenic caput of state, said 86% of Nevada voters person formed a message ballot astatine slightest erstwhile since 2022, underscoring however cardinal the signifier has go successful a authorities that has accepted mailed ballots received up to 4 days aft Election Day since 2021, truthful agelong arsenic they are postmarked connected oregon earlier Election Day.
“Nevadans request message ballots and today’s determination from the Supreme Court is simply a immense triumph to guarantee voters proceed to person the entree to the ballot container they’ve travel to expect,” Aguilar said successful a statement.
Ford, the Democratic nominee for governor, said the ruling affirms Nevada’s quality to administer its ain elections without national interference.
“Our authorities has made it wide that we judge our citizens merit to formed their ballots successful the mode that is easiest for them, and today’s determination ensures that Nevadans who formed their message ballot by Election Day volition person their ineligible votes counted,” Ford said successful a statement.
Monday’s ruling came successful a situation to Mississippi’s instrumentality brought by the Republican National Committee and the state’s Libertarian Party, who argued that national instrumentality requires each ballots to beryllium received by Election Day. Writing for the court’s majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the applicable national statutes bash not barroom states from counting ballots that are formed by Election Day but get later.
Barrett besides traced the past of voting practices successful the United States, noting that absentee voting has agelong existed successful immoderate signifier and that states person gradually expanded entree to message voting. She wrote that the “defining element” of an predetermination was the electorate’s prime of candidate, not the infinitesimal ballots were physically received.
In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said Election Day “is a specified date, not a span of aggregate days,” arguing that Mississippi’s instrumentality and others similar it improperly widen the predetermination beyond the time acceptable by Congress.
The determination drew contiguous praise from the 2 Nevada officials, who person defended message voting arsenic a unafraid and wide utilized method successful the state. Aguilar said agrarian counties including Douglas and Nye person seen particularly beardown mail-ballot use, with those counties starring turnout successful the 2024 wide predetermination and the June 9 primary.
In Clark County, 9,467 message ballots were received aft Election Day successful the 2024 wide election, retired of much than 443,000 message ballots accepted, according to authorities figures.
The ruling besides lands amid broader fights implicit predetermination rules pushed by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized message voting and urged restrictions connected ballot entree — contempt having voted by message himself astatine slightest 4 times, astir precocious successful March for a Florida peculiar predetermination for the authorities House territory that includes his Mar-a-Lago property successful Palm Beach.
The Supreme Court determination besides comes arsenic Trump presses Republicans successful Congress to walk the SAVE America Act, which would enforce tighter mail-ballot restrictions and necessitate documentary impervious of citizenship to registry to vote. In a abstracted case, a national tribunal past week blocked portion of a Trump enforcement bid aimed astatine limiting message voting and requiring documentary impervious of citizenship for elector registration.
Neither the Nevada Republican Party nor Gov. Joe Lombardo’s bureau responded to requests for comment.
The New York Times contributed to this report.
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