Attorney General Bonta: U.S. Supreme Court Decision Affirms State Authority Over Mail Ballot Deadlines

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee, which affirmed states' authority to count ballots cast by Election Day and received by election officials shortly afterward. California law provides that ballots returned by mail are timely if postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days. In January 2026, Attorney General Bonta filed a multistate amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold state mail ballot receipt deadlines.

"Today's decision recognizes a basic reality: Mail delays happen. When people vote by Election Day, their ballots should not be discarded because of those delays," said Attorney General Bonta. "Since our nation's founding, states have been primarily responsible for regulating elections, and we are pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court has respected that authority."