The Supreme Court upholds mail ballot grace periods in Mississippi, House Republicans renew their push for the SAVE America Act, and Louisiana enacts new voting laws — here’s what’s happening:
Welcome back to The Good, The Bad, The Ugly — your go-to source for the latest in voting rights. At the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s mail ballot grace period, while the U.S. House is preparing another attempt to pass the SAVE America Act after previous unsuccessful attempts. Meanwhile, Louisiana enacted two new voting laws that could make it more difficult for some residents to cast a ballot.
So, buckle up as we break down the wins, the setbacks, and the urgent fights ahead in the battle for our democracy.
The Good
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Mississippi can continue counting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. The Court found that this practice does not violate federal election law. The decision also protects similar mail ballot deadlines in 13 other states and Washington, D.C., as well as laws in additional states that give military and overseas voters extra time for their ballots to arrive.
What’s Next: The decision leaves current mail-ballot grace periods in place ahead of the November midterms, but it doesn’t resolve broader disputes over mail and early voting. The Supreme Court has already agreed to hear another case about Arizona’s voting laws and has indicated it may review a separate case about ballots rejected because of mistakes on return envelopes. Any decisions in those cases would come after the midterm elections.
The Bad
House Republicans renew their push to pass the SAVE America Act, a voter suppression bill, through the budget reconciliation process after previous efforts failed in the Senate. The bill would make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote, especially women and transgender voters who have changed their names, people without a passport, and many older Black Americans who were never issued an official birth certificate. Lawmakers are also considering adding a ban on most mail-in voting.
What’s Next: The bill still faces challenges in the Senate, where most legislation requires 60 votes to pass. Republicans currently hold 53 seats, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he does not plan to change the Senate’s filibuster rules to lower that threshold. In addition, the budget reconciliation process can only be used for certain types of legislation, limiting which parts of a bill can move forward.
The Ugly
📌Act 5 changes how voters without a photo ID can cast a ballot. Instead of using a provisional ballot at their polling place, voters must either present two other forms of identification on Election Day or obtain a provisional ballot from their parish registrar and return within two days to verify their identity.
📌Act 6 requires the Secretary of State’s office to send registered voters’ personal information, including Social Security numbers, to the Department of Homeland Security to verify U.S. citizenship using the federal SAVE database.
Voting rights advocates argue the changes are unnecessary and could make it harder for some voters — including older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents who are less likely to have a photo ID — to cast a ballot.
What’s Next: Both laws are scheduled to take effect on August 1, ahead of Louisiana’s upcoming elections. No legal challenges to either law have been announced.