The U.S. Supreme Court rules, in a closely divided 5–4 decision, that states may accept and count certain vote-by-mail ballots that are received after Election Day, provided they meet state law requirements. In Watson v. Republican National Committee, the Court addresses Mississippi’s policy for handling mail ballots, including ballots that are submitted with a postmark dated on or before Election Day but arrive afterward. Multiple outlets report that Justice Amy Coney Barrett writes the majority opinion, and that Chief Justice John Roberts joins the majority along with the court’s Democratic appointees. The decision affirms states’ authority to set rules for the timing and acceptance of mail ballots beyond Election Day rather than imposing a uniform federal deadline. The sources describe the ruling as upholding state election procedures for processing postmarked ballots after Election Day, with the dissenting justices disagreeing on how such deadlines should be applied under the Constitution and federal election-related standards. The Court’s ruling means election officials can continue counting ballots under the state framework at issue in the case.