The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling on Tuesday in the case of Grant v. Belangia, finding that South Carolina’s mail-in voting statutes are unconstitutional. The state law currently allows all residents over the age of 65 to cast ballots by mail, while younger voters are required to meet specific criteria to qualify for the same privilege.

The court determined that this age-based distinction violates the 26th Amendment, which prohibits the denial or abridgment of the right to vote based on age for citizens 18 years or older. By providing an easier path to voting for older citizens while imposing stricter requirements on younger ones, the court concluded the state created an unequal voting environment.

This ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal debates surrounding mail-in voting access. While the state of South Carolina has defended the law as a reasonable administrative measure, the Fourth Circuit’s decision suggests that such age-based classifications in election law face a high constitutional hurdle. The decision is expected to have implications for how states structure their absentee and mail-in voting programs moving forward, as it sets a precedent that age cannot be used as a primary factor to grant preferential voting access.