Supreme Court hearing dispute today over late-arriving mail ballots

Washington — The Supreme Court is considering Monday a major elections dispute involving whether federal law bars states from counting mail ballots that are postmarked by, but received after Election Day.

Washington — The Supreme Court is considering Monday a major elections dispute involving whether federal law bars states from counting mail ballots that are postmarked by, but received after Election Day.

The case before the high court involves Mississippi's deadline for late-arriving mail ballots and whether its law, as well as similar measures from 13 other states, conflicts with federal statutes that set Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in certain years.

Arguments are taking place as President Trump pushes to end mail voting, with some exceptions, and a decision in the case from the Supreme Court is expected to come months before the November midterm elections. 

All 50 states require ballots to be marked and submitted by election day. But 14 states and the District of Columbia have enacted so-called grace periods, in which ballots that are postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they arrive after that day. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia allow at least some military and overseas ballots to be counted if they're received after election day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Four states — Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio and Utah — passed laws last year eliminating grace periods and now require mail ballots to be received by Election Day in order to be counted.