{"id":2583385,"date":"2026-03-24T15:52:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/corporate-media-a-single-election-day-is-chaos-but-not-our-months-long-mail-ballot-behemoth\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T15:56:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:56:54","slug":"corporate-media-a-single-election-day-is-chaos-but-not-our-months-long-mail-ballot-behemoth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/corporate-media-a-single-election-day-is-chaos-but-not-our-months-long-mail-ballot-behemoth\/","title":{"rendered":"Media: Single Election Day Is &#8216;Chaos,&#8217; Not Months-Long Mail Balloting"},"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%2Fcorporate-media-a-single-election-day-is-chaos-but-not-our-months-long-mail-ballot-behemoth%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=2583385&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>The piece discusses the Supreme Court\u2019s consideration of the RNC\u2019s challenge to Mississippi\u2019s post-Election Day mail-in ballots and argues that coverage of the case by mainstream outlets misrepresents the stakes, portraying the Court as destabilizing rather than focusing on the push for uniform election rules.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Case and legal issue: Watson v. RNC challenges a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to five days later; the 5th Circuit previously ruled the policy unlawful.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Courtroom dynamics: Justices questioned Mississippi\u2019s defense, with Justice Samuel Alito noting that America no longer has Election Day, but rather \u201celection month\u201d or longer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Media framing: The New York Times, HuffPost, MSNow, and the Washington Post are cited as portraying the Court\u2019s potential ruling as upending voting procedures and creating nationwide chaos ahead of midterm elections; Politico is quoted on concerns that late-ballot issues could threaten early voting as well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Historical context: The piece argues that the media ignores the chaos already created by 2020 election-law changes, citing examples from Pennsylvania (2020 canvassing guidance and late-cure provisions) and Nevada (2021 extension of deadlines for postmarked ballots and the practice of counting ballots arriving after Election Day under certain conditions).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; State-level variability: The author emphasizes that \u201cElection Day\u201d now means different things in different states,making true uniformity impractical without a single nationwide standard.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Critique of coverage: The article contends that coverage aims to normalize significant delays in results and to frame any restoration of a uniform Election Day as a threat, thereby conditioning voters to distrust the Court if it doesn\u2019t rubber-stamp pandemic-era voting changes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Public opinion data: A poll for the Honest Elections Project reportedly shows a majority of likely voters view counting late ballots as endangering public trust, with 79% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats saying late ballots could make cheating easier; however, majorities from both parties say ballots received by Election Day improve security.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Author note: Brianna lyman, elections correspondent for The Federalist, is identified at the end of the piece.  <\/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>\n<p>The Supreme Court is weighing the RNC&rsquo;s argument that accepting mail-in ballots <em>after<\/em> an election does not align with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" title=\"Poll: 83% Of Voters Want ... &#039;Received By ...&#039;\">statutes establishing federal election days<\/a>. But if you read coverage from the propaganda press, you&rsquo;d think the justices are on the verge of plunging the country into anarchy rather than deciding whether to restore the uniformity set by Congress.<\/p>\n<p>The high court was hearing arguments in <em>Watson v. RNC<\/em>, which is a challenge to a Mississippi law that permits mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be accepted up to five days after an election. The law was previously found to be unlawful by the 5th Circuit. The Federalist&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/supreme-court-voices-skepticism-about-states-accepting-mail-in-ballots-after-election-day\/\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/a> pointed out that several justices had tough questions for Mississippi&rsquo;s defense counsel, with Justice Samuel Alito aptly pointing out that America does not &ldquo;have Election Day anymore,&rdquo; but rather &ldquo;election month or&hellip; election months.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nytimes\/status\/2036125164199391534?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times<\/a> wrote on its X account, &ldquo;The Supreme Court appears poised to reject a Mississippi state law on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaskas-elections-should-encourage-clear-choices-and-clear-winners-by-tim-griffin\/\" title=\"Alaska\u2019s ... Should Encourage Clear Choices and Clear Winners. \u2013 By Tim Griffin\">late-arriving mail-<\/a>in ballots, a decision that could upend voting and have sweeping consequences in the midterm elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Huffington Post&rsquo;s Brandi Buchman headlined her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/supreme-court-appears-ready-to-make-voting-even-harder_n_69c16a2fe4b04b9b3f19563f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">piece<\/a>, &ldquo;Supreme Court Appears Ready To Make Voting Even Harder.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Signaling a threat to millions of voters who cast mail-in ballots across the country and overseas, the Supreme Court&rsquo;s conservative majority appeared ready Monday to bless a recent push by Republicans to restrict how and when late-arriving mail-in ballots are counted,&rdquo; Buchman wrote. <\/p>\n<p>MSNow&rsquo;s Jordan Rubin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/deadline-white-house\/deadline-legal-blog\/supreme-court-mail-in-ballot-mississippi-decision-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>, &ldquo;The Supreme Court&rsquo;s mail-in ballot decision could inject chaos into midterm elections.&rdquo; Rubin said the Supreme Court is &ldquo;considering endorsing that destabilizing view.&rdquo; The Washington Post&rsquo;s Justin Jouvenal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/03\/23\/supreme-court-mail-in-ballots-mississippi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> that the high court &ldquo;appeared likely to embrace a conservative challenge to tallying mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a move that could upend election procedures in states across the country as voters prepare to cast ballots in the midterm elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/12\/4-reasons-vote-by-mail-is-insecure-and-how-the-save-act-would-fix-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4 Reasons Vote-By-Mail Is Insecure, And How The SAVE Act Would Fix It<\/a><\/strong>]\n<p>And Politico&rsquo;s Josh Gerstein <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/supreme-court-trump-mail-in-voting-00840378\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>: &ldquo;Supreme Court worries Trump&rsquo;s attack on late ballots could also threaten early voting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But treating a potential ruling in favor of the RNC and DOJ as &ldquo;upending&rdquo; or &ldquo;destabilizing&rdquo; ignores the very real &ldquo;chaos&rdquo; caused by the recent, chaotic &ldquo;upending&rdquo; of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/28\/the-rnc-is-right-anyone-who-cant-recognize-flaws-in-2020-is-unfit-to-help-republicans-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">election rules<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>In Pennsylvania in 2020, for example, then-Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar issued <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/content\/dam\/copapwp-pagov\/en\/dos\/resources\/voting-and-elections\/directives-and-guidance\/archived\/Canvassing-Segregated-Ballot-Guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guidance<\/a> days before the election, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/28\/the-rnc-is-right-anyone-who-cant-recognize-flaws-in-2020-is-unfit-to-help-republicans-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ordering<\/a> segregated late ballots to be counted &ldquo;as soon as possible upon receipt of the ballots.&rdquo; Additional guidance from Boockvar also permitted mail-in voters lacking<strong> <\/strong>proof of identification to &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/11\/12\/pennsylvania-judge-sides-with-trump-campaign-throwing-out-ballots-missing-id-deadline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cure<\/a>&rdquo; their ballots up until nine days <em>after<\/em> the election. A state court later determined she did not have the authority to change the state&rsquo;s curing deadline.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/18\/activist-judge-says-nevada-can-keep-counting-ballots-that-show-up-after-election-day\/\">Nevada<\/a> officially extended the deadline for which counties could accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to four days <em>after<\/em> Election Day. This law followed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/elections-and-campaigns\/the-evolution-of-absentee-mail-voting-laws-2020-through-2022\">similar<\/a> pandemic-related measure that temporarily extended the mail-in ballot deadline to seven days after Election Day in 2020. As The Federalist previously reported, Nevada <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/28\/nevada-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark-after-election-deadline\/\">also permits<\/a> mail ballots to be counted even if they are missing a postmark, so long as they arrive by the third day <em>after<\/em> Election Day. As The Federalist&rsquo;s Matt Kittle <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/15\/in-nevadas-biggest-county-nearly-40000-ballots-counted-despite-arriving-after-election-day-2022\/\">reported<\/a>, in Nevada&rsquo;s Clark County, nearly 40,000 mail-in ballots that arrived <em>after<\/em> Election Day in 2022 were counted.<\/p>\n<p>In simpler terms, Election &ldquo;Day&rdquo; now means different things for different states. There can be no uniform Election Day if each state has a different timeline. Such <em>real<\/em> chaos is hard to ignore.<\/p>\n<p>The propaganda press&rsquo;s reporting on the Supreme Court hearing is deliberate. Such coverage wrongly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/23\/there-is-no-good-reason-for-voters-to-not-expect-results-on-election-night\/\">normalizes<\/a> significant delays in election results which, up until the pandemic, were abnormal. By ignoring or downplaying the actual &ldquo;chaos&rdquo; caused by election law changes in 2020 and preemptively painting any decision restoring a uniform Election Day as a &ldquo;threat,&rdquo; the media is conditioning voters to treat the Supreme Court as illegitimate or at least suspect if it declines to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >rubber-stamp problematic pandemic-era voting expansions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This fearmongering undermines the many Americans who recognize the dangers of accepting mail-in ballots after Election Day. A <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/24\/poll-83-of-voters-think-ballots-should-be-received-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> conducted this month on behalf of the Honest Elections Project found a majority of likely voters said counting ballots received after Election Day &ldquo;endanger[s] public trust in elections,&rdquo; with 79 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of Democrats saying such a practice &ldquo;makes it easier to cheat.&rdquo; Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats surveyed said requiring ballots to be received by Election Day &ldquo;makes elections more secure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCOTUS weighs late ballots vs election-day rules; hype<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2583386,"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\/Election_Day_2020_50564518207-e1774365123213.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6571,75665,4188,4351],"class_list":["post-2583385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-elections","tag-mail-in-voting-2","tag-media","tag-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Election_Day_2020_50564518207-e1774365123213.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583385","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583385"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583390,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583385\/revisions\/2583390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}