DNC Chair Ken Martin on the Supreme Court Agreeing to Review Watson v. RNC Arrow

Watson v. RNC infringes on the rights of Mississippians to cast their mail-in ballot and have it counted

If Republicans succeed, mail and early voting could be in jeopardy nationwide

Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Watson v. Republican National Committee, the RNC's challenge to the Mississippi law that allows ballots completed, mailed, and postmarked by election day and received within five days of the election to be counted.

Last fall, after a U.S. District Court judge correctly ruled against the RNC, a right-wing panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a severely misguided ruling in the RNC's favor. Mississippi appealed, and the Supreme Court has now agreed to review the Fifth Circuit's incorrect ruling.

This case is not just about mail ballot receipt deadlines in Mississippi. It has implications in dozens of states that count at least some votes cast by Election Day but delayed in the mail. And it appears to be part of a multi-prong strategy by Trump and his Republican allies at the RNC and U.S. Department of Justice to lay the groundwork to eliminate all early and mail voting - a grave threat to the rights of working people and to military voters and their families. The DNC will continue to fight for voters' rights to securely cast their ballots nationwide.

DNC Chair Ken Martin issued the following statement:

"Republicans don't want to see Americans exercising their sacred right to vote. They want to restrict, limit, and infringe on the rights of voters because they know that when more eligible citizens vote, Republicans lose. For years, the RNC has set its sights on disenfranchising voters who exercise their right to vote by mail. Voting by mail and voting early are safe, secure, and empower more eligible voters to participate in our elections. That is a good thing for our democracy. The DNC will fight like hell in this case for the rights of Mississippians and every other citizen to make sure their voices are heard and their votes are counted."

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