Regular in-person ballots are often counted the next day, and saved for re-counting and verification later. On balance this doesn't seem like a huge deal. Much more important is the integrity of those ballots, and deadlines for receipt.
"Majority opinion (written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett)— Joined by: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Key reasoning: The federal statutes set a uniform day for voting (the act of choosing), but do not require ballots to be received by election officials on that exact day. Historical dictionaries and context show “election” refers to the electorate’s choice, not the physical receipt of ballots. The Court emphasized that states have long controlled the mechanics of ballot receipt, and nothing in the federal statutes “traps in amber” 19th-century practices. It distinguished precedents like Foster v. Love (1997) and noted that policy concerns about fraud or election integrity are for Congress or state legislatures to address.
🔻My Thoughts:
The only silver lining in this is that it highlights how it’s the duty of CONGRESS or state legislatures need to address this now since SCOTUS failed.
If Congress wanted to codify the Watson dissent’s view into law, it should include language that explicitly sets a federal receipt deadline or preempts state grace periods.
Now, there is something in Congress right now that COULD change this ruling on its head— it’s called The Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act (H.R. 7300)… which expands on the Svae America Act.
The MEGA Act explicitly includes a provision requiring that mail ballots be received by election officials on or before Election Day to be counted—even if postmarked by Election Day.
But it’s been sitting since January I think.. I imagine waiting for the Save America Act to pass, as it is an extension of it.
The decision sucks… but we have some more cards in the deck to play. This may work out in our favor later."
On the one hand. This could be considered a victory for proponents of decentralization by returning more control of elections back to the States. Which is closer to what was originally envisioned where States could and frequently did add their own arbitrary rules on top of Federal Guidelines. Which caused drama of its own historically but that’s beside the point.
On the other hand. We know that none of this was about any principles or ‘originalism’ and was strictly political calculus and making it easier for one party or the other to cheat if given the opportunity.
Not to mention a plethora of countries. Many even more dysfunctional than our clown show. Can somehow manage to get all their ballots including ‘mail-in’ where relevant. Received and counted by Election Day. So it’s a bit of a National Embarrassment and blatantly transparent.
Under new rules effective December 24, 2025, the postmark date reflects when the mail is first scanned by automated equipment at a distribution center, not the date the USPS accepts possession or collects it. >
I don't think they can. I think they can only go by the postmark. That's why they suggest it being given to a postal clerk instead of using a drop box.
I was curious because I was a legal secretary years ago and the postmark is critical for legal filings. This is what I found:
Critical Consequences
This shift creates risks for time-sensitive deadlines where the postmark serves as legal proof of timely filing:
Tax Returns & Payments: A return mailed on the deadline (e.g., April 15) but processed on April 16 will be considered late, potentially incurring penalties and interest.
Legal & Bill Payments: Contracts, court filings, rent, and utility payments relying on "postmarked by" dates may be deemed delinquent even if mailed on time.
Voting: Mail-in ballots postmarked after Election Day due to processing delays could be rejected.
How to Ensure a Correct Postmark Date
To guarantee the postmark matches your intended mailing date, avoid blue collection boxes and self-service kiosks near deadlines. Instead:
Go to the Counter: Hand your mail to a retail associate and request a manual hand-stamp or a Postage Validation Imprint (PVI) label, which records the exact date of acceptance.
Use Certified/Registered Mail: These services provide a dated receipt proving when USPS took possession.
Mail Early: Send critical documents several days in advance to account for transit time to the processing facility.
~Mail Early: Send critical documents several days in advance to account for transit time to the processing facility.~
Good advice! Anyone who wants to vote can mail their ballot in time, right? I have sometimes relied on the April 15 postmark, but that was back when the local PO did an actual postmark.
Why do they want the late voters to decide elections anyway??
Regular in-person ballots are often counted the next day, and saved for re-counting and verification later. On balance this doesn't seem like a huge deal. Much more important is the integrity of those ballots, and deadlines for receipt.
"Majority opinion (written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett)— Joined by: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Key reasoning: The federal statutes set a uniform day for voting (the act of choosing), but do not require ballots to be received by election officials on that exact day. Historical dictionaries and context show “election” refers to the electorate’s choice, not the physical receipt of ballots. The Court emphasized that states have long controlled the mechanics of ballot receipt, and nothing in the federal statutes “traps in amber” 19th-century practices. It distinguished precedents like Foster v. Love (1997) and noted that policy concerns about fraud or election integrity are for Congress or state legislatures to address.
🔻My Thoughts:
The only silver lining in this is that it highlights how it’s the duty of CONGRESS or state legislatures need to address this now since SCOTUS failed.
If Congress wanted to codify the Watson dissent’s view into law, it should include language that explicitly sets a federal receipt deadline or preempts state grace periods.
Now, there is something in Congress right now that COULD change this ruling on its head— it’s called The Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act (H.R. 7300)… which expands on the Svae America Act.
The MEGA Act explicitly includes a provision requiring that mail ballots be received by election officials on or before Election Day to be counted—even if postmarked by Election Day.
But it’s been sitting since January I think.. I imagine waiting for the Save America Act to pass, as it is an extension of it.
The decision sucks… but we have some more cards in the deck to play. This may work out in our favor later."
https://nitter.net/MJTruthUltra/status/2071608737744240806
But you better have your taxes in by tax day.
On the one hand. This could be considered a victory for proponents of decentralization by returning more control of elections back to the States. Which is closer to what was originally envisioned where States could and frequently did add their own arbitrary rules on top of Federal Guidelines. Which caused drama of its own historically but that’s beside the point.
On the other hand. We know that none of this was about any principles or ‘originalism’ and was strictly political calculus and making it easier for one party or the other to cheat if given the opportunity.
Not to mention a plethora of countries. Many even more dysfunctional than our clown show. Can somehow manage to get all their ballots including ‘mail-in’ where relevant. Received and counted by Election Day. So it’s a bit of a National Embarrassment and blatantly transparent.
How do the new rules come into play on this?
so usually a day after mailing?
Not always. I read it can take 3 - 5 days to reach processing facility.
So how does the polling place verify the date it was mailed??
I don't think they can. I think they can only go by the postmark. That's why they suggest it being given to a postal clerk instead of using a drop box.
Drop Box, another mail-in ballot fraud.
I was curious because I was a legal secretary years ago and the postmark is critical for legal filings. This is what I found:
Tax Returns & Payments: A return mailed on the deadline (e.g., April 15) but processed on April 16 will be considered late, potentially incurring penalties and interest. Legal & Bill Payments: Contracts, court filings, rent, and utility payments relying on "postmarked by" dates may be deemed delinquent even if mailed on time. Voting: Mail-in ballots postmarked after Election Day due to processing delays could be rejected. How to Ensure a Correct Postmark Date To guarantee the postmark matches your intended mailing date, avoid blue collection boxes and self-service kiosks near deadlines. Instead:
Go to the Counter: Hand your mail to a retail associate and request a manual hand-stamp or a Postage Validation Imprint (PVI) label, which records the exact date of acceptance. Use Certified/Registered Mail: These services provide a dated receipt proving when USPS took possession. Mail Early: Send critical documents several days in advance to account for transit time to the processing facility.
~Mail Early: Send critical documents several days in advance to account for transit time to the processing facility.~
Good advice! Anyone who wants to vote can mail their ballot in time, right? I have sometimes relied on the April 15 postmark, but that was back when the local PO did an actual postmark.
Why do they want the late voters to decide elections anyway??
HOW many times have they claimed they lost the envelopes?