Stateline reports on Center for Election Confidence’s (CEC) efforts to encourage the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a “bright line” rule for ballot return deadlines in federal elections in Watson v. RNC, which is currently before the Court.

CEC filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court with partners Honest Elections Project and Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE).

In the article, Stateline notes that the key question in Watson is “what does it mean to cast a ballot?” In other words, “is putting it in the mail enough, or does it need to reach election officials?”

Caleb Hays, chief policy counsel at the Center for Election Confidence, a conservative-leaning legal advocacy group that opposes ballot grace periods, said Congress has the authority to set the date of congressional and presidential elections and had spoken. The center has filed court papers urging the Supreme Court to strike down the Mississippi law.

A requirement that all ballots must be received by the close of polls sets a “bright line rule” for election officials and voters, Hays said, making sure everyone has the same expectation about when ballots must be in.

As Hays notes, “In this case, Election Day means Election Day.”