Supreme Court opens door to more election challenges with absentee-ballot ruling

The Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision authored by Chief Justice Roberts, revived Republican Rep. Michael Bost’s challenge to Illinois’ rule allowing mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within two weeks. The court held that candidates have a concrete interest in how votes are counted, potentially broadening standing for election-rule challenges and signaling more post-election litigation; lower courts had dismissed the suit for lack of standing. Dissenters warned the ruling could destabilize elections by inviting chaos and more lawsuits after contested elections.