U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Trudy Grant v. Conway Belangia
August 18, 2026
Summary
The court held that South Carolina's age-based absentee-by-mail voting scheme violates the Twenty-Sixth Amendment because it gives voters aged sixty-five and older unconditional access while requiring younger voters to satisfy excuses, documentation requirements, and deadlines. The court concluded that the plaintiffs had Article III standing because they were able and ready to vote, and their unequal access was traceable to the statute and redressable by extending or withdrawing the no-excuse voting option. It affirmed summary judgment against the plaintiffs on their Equal Protection claim because age is not a suspect classification and the plaintiffs did not challenge the lower court's alternative rational-basis and balancing analyses.