{"id":2583171,"date":"2026-03-24T08:17:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T08:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:20:08","slug":"poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: 83% Of Voters Want Ballots &#8216;Received By Election Day&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpoll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2583171&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Federalist article centers on a recent poll about mail-in ballot deadlines and the Supreme Court case Watson v. RNC, which challenges Mississippi\u2019s law allowing absentee ballots postmarked before election day to be received up to five days after the election.<\/p>\n<p>Key points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The poll, conducted for the Honest Elections Project, found strong cross\u2011party support for ballots being received by Election Day: 93% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 74% of Democrats (83% overall), wiht 57% \u201cstrongly agree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A majority (60%) also said ballots received after polls close shoudl not be counted, including 80% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; On election security and trust, 60% said late ballots undermine public trust; 79% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats held that view. Conversely, 90% of Republicans and 68% of Democrats believe counting ballots received by Election Day makes elections more secure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; about 59% would not trust results if late-arriving ballots were counted, with 76% of Republicans sharing that view; Democrats were more divided.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; During Supreme Court oral arguments, conservative justices pressed Mississippi\u2019s Solicitor General Scott Stewart, with Justice Kavanaugh noting that accepting late ballots has not been a long-standing practise and Justice Alito warning that \u201celection month\u201d rules could invite fraud or erode confidence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The case\u2019s outcome is anticipated this summer and could affect whether states may permit late-arriving ballots.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ballotpedia notes 14 states currently allow post-Election day receipt if ballots are postmarked by Election Day; the article situates Watson as a test of whether such laws are preempted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-to-review-legality-of-counting-mail-ballots-arriving-after-election-day\/\" title=\"... to review legality of counting mail ... arriving after ...\">federal election-day statutes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Author and context:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece is writen by Maisey Jefferson, a staff editor for the Federalist, and includes analysis of polling, legal arguments, and broader implications for election conduct and public trust.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/classic-u-s-mailbox-in-a-green-garden-setting-33839270\/\">Wolfgang Vrede \/ Pexels<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Poll:%2083%%20Of%20Voters%20Think%20Ballots%20%E2%80%98Should%20Be%20Received%20By%20Election%20Day%E2%80%99&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Poll:%2083%%20Of%20Voters%20Think%20Ballots%20%E2%80%98Should%20Be%20Received%20By%20Election%20Day%E2%80%99&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Poll:%2083%%20Of%20Voters%20Think%20Ballots%20%E2%80%98Should%20Be%20Received%20By%20Election%20Day%E2%80%99&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>While the Supreme Court on Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/supreme-court-voices-skepticism-about-states-accepting-mail-in-ballots-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expressed skepticism<\/a> about states accepting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, an overwhelming majority of voters have already decided against the practice, according to a recent poll conducted just days before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-justices-lean-toward-abortion-restrictions\/\" title=\"... justices lean toward abortion restrictions\">high court heard oral arguments<\/a> in <em>Watson v. RNC<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist&rsquo;s Shawn Fleetwood reported, <em>Watson<\/em> &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/19\/supreme-court-gears-up-to-decide-if-elections-end-on-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deals<\/a>&nbsp;with a challenge to a Mississippi law authorizing absentee ballots to be accepted up to five days after Election Day so long as they are postmarked before or on the day of the contest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1085772129\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/honestelections.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Watson-v-RNC-Polling-Memo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">survey<\/a> of 1,600 likely voters conducted on behalf of the Honest Elections Project earlier this month found that 93 percent of Republicans, 83 percent of Independents, and 74 percent of Democrats agree ballots &ldquo;should be received by Election Day.&rdquo; While overall, 83 percent of those surveyed agree with this deadline, a significant majority &mdash; 57 percent &mdash; &ldquo;strongly agree.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The survey also found that 60 percent of likely voters agree officials should not count mail-in ballots if they are &ldquo;received after polls close on Election Day.&rdquo; This includes 80 percent of Republicans and, although not a majority, a significant 42 percent of Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>A majority of respondents indicated that counting ballots received after Election Day polls are closed &ldquo;endanger[s] public trust in elections.&rdquo; Sixty percent total, including 79 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of Democrats, think this practice &ldquo;makes it easier to cheat&rdquo; in elections. However, an overwhelming 90 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Democrats say requiring ballots to be received &ldquo;by the end of Election Day makes elections more secure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fifty-nine percent of likely voters surveyed indicated they &ldquo;would not trust&rdquo; election results in which late-arriving ballots were counted, including 76 percent of Republicans. As the Honest Election Project noted, Democrats are &ldquo;split&rdquo; on whether they would trust results that include ballots received after Election Day, &ldquo;showing deep bipartisan distrust.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As Fleetwood reported, multiple conservative Supreme Court justices pushed back on or grilled Mississippi&rsquo;s Solicitor General Scott Stewart during Monday&rsquo;s oral arguments in <em>Watson<\/em>. For example, Justice Kavanaugh noted how accepting mail ballots after Election Day is not a practice supported by history. It &ldquo;only became widespread &hellip; in more recent years,&rdquo; and &ldquo;the predominant approach was to require receipt by Election Day &hellip; until very recently,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Samuel Alito highlighted how having &ldquo;election month&rdquo; or &ldquo;months&rdquo; rather than a day could leave the door open for fraud or end up damaging Americans&rsquo; confidence in the election process. <\/p>\n<p>Honest Election Project Executive Director Jason Snead also noted such concerns, previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/19\/supreme-court-gears-up-to-decide-if-elections-end-on-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">telling<\/a> The Federalist &ldquo;that watching ballots trickle in and margins shrink, and &hellip; watching winners become losers and losers become winners after an election is over&rdquo; leaves the door open for fraud, destroyed public confidence, and deterred voting. He indicated <em>Watson<\/em> &ldquo;is a real opportunity for the Supreme Court to enforce the rule of law and to bring good election practices at the same time.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ballotpedia.org\/2026\/03\/23\/u-s-supreme-court-to-hear-oral-arguments-on-legality-of-mississippis-absentee-ballot-return-law-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballotpedia<\/a>, 14 states currently have laws that allow them to accept mail-in ballots after an election as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. The Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision in <em>Watson<\/em> &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/cases\/case-files\/watson-v-republican-national-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">determining<\/a> whether a state law allowing the reception of late-arriving ballots is preempted by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >statutes establishing federal election days &#038;mdash<\/a>; is expected this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Maisey Jefferson is a staff editor at The Federalist. She graduated from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gordon.edu\/\">Gordon College<\/a> in the greater Boston area with a degree in English and Professional Writing. You can follow her on X at <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jeffermaisey\">@jeffermaisey<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Maisey Jefferson<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/maiseyjefferson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/alito\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Alito<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-day\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Election Day<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/honest-election-project\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Honest Election Project<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/kavanaugh\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Kavanaugh<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-ballot\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail-in ballot<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mississippi\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Mississippi<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/polling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Polling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/postmark\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">postmark<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/watson-v-rnc\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Watson v. RNC<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the provided passage:<\/p>\n<p>Although the Supreme Court voiced skepticism about states accepting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a large portion of voters already oppose late-ballot counting. A 1,600\u2011person poll conducted for the Honest Elections Project found broad cross\u2011partisan agreement that ballots should arrive by Election Day: 93% of Republicans, 83% of independents, and 74% of Democrats, with 83% overall and 57% strongly agreeing. About 60% believe ballots received after polls close should not be counted, including 80% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats. A majority also think counting late ballots would erode public trust in elections and could make cheating easier, though 90% of Republicans and 68% of Democrats say timely receipt makes elections more secure. Roughly 59% would not trust results if late ballots were counted, with 76% of Republicans in that group; Democrats are split on trusting late-count results, indicating bipartisan distrust. In Watson v. RNC, several conservative justices pressed Mississippi\u2019s solicitor general, noting that accepting late ballots lacks strong historical support and could extend the election period or undermine confidence. Jason Snead of the Honest Elections Project argues the case offers the Court a chance to enforce lawful, sound election practices. Ballotpedia notes 14 states currently allow postmarked-by-Election-Day ballots; the Supreme Court\u2019s decision on whether such laws are preempted by federal election statutes is expected later this summer.<\/p>\n<p>If you want, I can also provide a very short 55-character teaser version<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2168,"featured_media":2583172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pexels-wolfgang-vrede-9996223-33839270-1-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9807,76388,75665,4351],"class_list":["post-2583171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ballots","tag-election-day-2","tag-mail-in-voting-2","tag-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pexels-wolfgang-vrede-9996223-33839270-1-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583171"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583175,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583171\/revisions\/2583175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}