Introduction
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), along with Center for Election Confidence, Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, and Honest Elections Project, filed an amicus brief in Michael Watson v. Republican National Committee, a Supreme Court case challenging Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterwards to be counted. The key question in the case is whether federal law concerning Election Day preempts state law regarding receipt of absentee ballots.
ALEC recently adopted the model Deadline for Return and Receipt of All Ballots Act, which, if followed by states, would require all ballots to be received by the close of polls on Election Day. Currently, 14 states accept and count ballots received post-Election Day.