By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Washington’s vote-by-mail system will remain unchanged after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday that states may continue counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
The ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee preserves Washington’s longstanding ballot return rules and ends months of uncertainty over whether states would be required to adopt separate deadlines for federal and state elections.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the decision a victory for voters and said it protects a system the state has relied on for years.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Watson v. RNC is a victory for all Washington voters,” Hobbs said in a statement. “The ruling upholds our longstanding ballot return rules, which support accessible and fair elections. Washington’s ballot return deadline means that the thousands of voters whose ballots are postmarked on time but received after Election Day still have their voices heard. We will continue our record of safe and secure elections in the upcoming midterm.”
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown also welcomed the decision, saying it preserves the state’s vote-by-mail system while reaffirming that states, not the federal government, determine when ballots may be received and counted.
“Today’s decision is a major win for voters and a firm rebuke of Donald Trump’s strategy to take control of states’ voting systems,” said Brown. “What this means for us is that Washington’s system of vote-by-mail doesn’t change. You will have to vote and get your ballot postmarked by election day. But it will still be counted if it arrives at the county auditor after election day.”
Brown said the ruling confirms what Washington and other states have argued throughout the case.
“The court made clear what I and others have been saying: ‘Nothing in the federal election-day statutes requires ballots to be received by election day.’ State laws govern when ballots must be received and counted. It’s not the President’s business,” said Brown.
The case began as a Republican-backed challenge to a Mississippi law allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrived up to five days later. When the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in late 2025, election officials and voting rights advocates warned that a ruling against Mississippi could have affected election procedures across the country.
Had the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Republican National Committee, states such as Washington could have been forced to adopt separate ballot receipt deadlines for federal and state elections, creating significant challenges for election administrators and confusion for voters.
Instead, the court concluded that federal law establishes when ballots must be cast, while states retain the authority to determine when properly cast ballots may be received and counted.
According to the Supreme Court syllabus, “The federal election-day statutes do not preempt Mississippi’s law because the defining element of an ‘election’ has always been the electorate’s choice of candidate. And a related federal statute, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), confirms that while federal law dictates when ballots must be cast, state law governs when they must be received.”
The majority also rejected arguments that concerns about election integrity should determine the outcome of the case, writing that those policy decisions belong with lawmakers rather than the courts.
Brown said a different ruling would have created unnecessary confusion for voters by requiring different deadlines for different contests appearing on the same ballot.
Todd Donovan, a political science professor at Western Washington University and former Whatcom County Council member, said Washington’s established vote-by-mail system has earned the confidence of many voters despite years of political attacks.
“This is just Trump using his megaphone to question or discredit the legitimacy of the election. It hasn’t had as much of an effect as people thought it would,” said Donovan.
The Supreme Court’s ruling comes as Washington continues to challenge a separate executive order issued by President Donald Trump involving state election administration.
That executive order sought to use federal authority over the U.S. Postal Service to refuse delivery of mail ballots from states that declined to provide their voter registration rolls to the federal government. A federal court has since blocked enforcement of the order while the litigation continues.
“The executive order would give the federal government control over who can and cannot vote in state elections,” said Hobbs. “The Trump administration’s attempts to access Washington voters’ private information are unlawful and unconstitutional. We will continue to oppose any similar actions by the federal government.”
With the Supreme Court decision now settled, Washington election officials are turning their attention to the state’s upcoming elections.
Ballots for the Aug. 4 primary will be mailed to registered voters beginning July 15. Officials encourage voters to return ballots using official ballot drop boxes or to mail them at least one week before Election Day to avoid postal delays. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or returned to an official drop box by 8 p.m.
Voters can verify their registration information and track the status of their ballot at VoteWA.gov.
