U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear case threatening ballots mailed by Election Day, but received later

SPOKANE — The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear a case against mail-in ballots in Illinois that may affect Washington.

The case was brought by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, who sued the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2022. According to the New York Times, Bost and two federal electors argued that the state’s law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted 14 days after an election violates statutes that created an Election Day.

Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said Washington state could be affected by the ruling in this case as ballots that are postmarked by Election Day or before are accepted 10, 14 and sometimes 21 days after Election Day, depending on the election.

“It would disenfranchise voters,” Dalton said. “It may have a pretty significant impact on o