7-2. Bost v Illinois Board of Education. The court ruled that Bost, a member of Congress, has standing to sue over election rules because he is a candidate for office and "has a personal stake in the rules that govern the counting of votes in his election." The decision is not on the merits of his claim, only that he may proceed.

Illinois law requires election officials to count mail-in ballots postmarked or certified no later than election day and received within two weeks of election day. Congressman Michael Bost and two other political candidates filed a lawsuit claiming that counting ballots received after election day violates federal law. They principally contended that doing so conflicts with 2 U. S. C. §7 and 3 U. S. C. §1, which set election day as the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. The district court dismissed the case, and the Seventh Circuit affirmed on the ground that petitioners lacked standing.

Held: As a candidate for office, Congressman Bost has standing to challenge the rules that govern the counting of votes in his election.