Supreme Court considers limits on mail-in voting grace period
The Supreme Court will review whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, a change that could affect voters across the country.
- President Donald Trump voted by mail in the Florida special election, despite frequently criticizing the practice.
- President Trump previously called mail-in voting “fraudulent” and claimed it would lead to widespread fraud.
- The Supreme Court is considering a case that could limit the grace period for mail-in voting, a move that President Trump supports.
President Donald Trump, a frequent opponent of mail-in voting, submitted his Florida special election ballot by mail.
Trump’s status in the district’s March 24 state House election is listed as “voted by mail,” according to Palm Beach County Elections Office voter records. Records show the ballots were received for processing on March 15, the day after early voting began. Trump was at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.
President Trump said in August that his party would do everything in its power to eliminate mail-in voting, calling it “corrupt.”
“You know, we realized today that we are the only country that votes by mail. Voting by mail means mail fraud. I call it ‘mail fraud,’ and we have to do something about all of this,” Trump said in Memphis on March 23.
Dozens of countries were using mail-in voting even before the coronavirus pandemic, when it became popular, according to Pew Research.
In which elections did President Trump vote by mail?
White House Press Secretary Olivia Wales, responding to a question about why President Trump chose to vote by mail in this election, said there should be exceptions to voting by mail for reasons such as illness, disability, military or travel.
“As everyone knows, the president is a resident of Palm Beach and has participated in elections in Florida, but obviously lives primarily in the White House in Washington, D.C.,” Wales said in a statement. “This is not a story.”
Trump voted for his local state representative in the Florida election. The election covers parts of Palm Beach County to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Caruso, who has been sworn in as circuit court clerk and Palm Beach County auditor.
President Trump endorsed Republican John Maples, who is running against Democrat Emily Gregory for the seat.
“To all the great patriots of Florida’s 87th Congressional District, go out and vote for John Maples!” President Trump said in a March 23 social media post.
Supreme Court may side with President Trump and limit postal grace period
On March 23, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee. The lawsuit challenges a Mississippi law that allows ballots to be counted up to five days after Election Day if they are sent on time. The Justice Department supports the RNC’s efforts to overturn the law.
President Trump has previously sought to completely eliminate grace periods and vote-by-mail through executive orders or by pushing Congress to pass legislation. Conservative-leaning courts appear poised to side with Republicans, which could lead to stricter voting guidelines across the country.
Mississippi argued that election day is defined when voters choose a candidate. Nearly 30 states are accepting some late-arriving ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. Democrats are generally likely to use mail-in voting.
“And we Republicans are going to do everything possible to eliminate mail-in voting,” Trump said from the Oval Office in August. “We’re the only country in the world — I believe I could be wrong — but we’re pretty much the only country in the world that uses them. And because of what’s happened, there’s massive fraud happening all over the place.”
Contributors: Terry Moseley, Maureen Groppe, CA Bridges, america today
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky, and TikTok.
