USPS recommends mailing ballots by today in 34 states

WASHINGTON —

With Election Day just a week away, Tuesday, October 27, is an important date for millions of Americans planning to vote by mail.

The U.S. Postal Service recommends sending completed ballots at least seven days before they’re required to arrive at election offices.

That makes today the recommended mailing date in 34 states where ballots must be received by Election Day, Nov. 3. Louisiana has an earlier deadline of Nov. 2.

Voters can still mail ballots afterward, but the Postal Service recommends allowing at least a week for delivery. And in some states, getting a ballot postmarked by Election Day isn’t enough. It must actually arrive on time.

The rules vary across the country. The National Conference of State Legislatures maintains a state-by-state breakdown of ballot receipt and postmark deadlines.

Why mailing early may matter

A ProPublica investigation published on Oct. 22 found that late-ballot rejection rates doubled or tripled in some rural areas affected by changes to Postal Service operations during this year’s primary elections, compared with the 2022 primaries.

The changes reduced mail pickups at certain rural post offices and routed more mail through regional processing facilities, sometimes adding time to delivery and delaying postmarks.

The Postal Service says it is taking additional precautions ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

In a statement to Hearst Television, USPS said it has begun deploying extraordinary measures, including additional deliveries and collections, special pickups and expedited local processing that can bypass normal processing steps when necessary.

The agency also pointed to its performance in previous federal elections, saying it delivered 99.9% of ballots from voters to election officials within seven days during the 2022 and 2024 election cycles.

USPS says it is confident it will successfully deliver election mail again this year.

Still, election experts say voters shouldn’t assume mailing their ballots is their only option.

Amy Cohen, executive director of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), told Hearst Television that voters who cannot mail their ballots by the recommended date should review the alternatives available in their states.

“They need to be looking at the information available to them from their election officials to understand what their other options for return are,” Cohen said.

Depending on the state, that could mean returning a ballot directly to an election office, using an authorized drop box, or voting in person.

Voters can find links to their state’s official election website through NASED’s voter resources page.

Your ballot arrived. Does that mean it will count?

Election officials still have to review mailed ballots to determine whether they meet the state’s requirements.

A Common Cause analysis released Monday found approximately 3,700 mail ballots in North Carolina had been flagged for problems as of Oct. 24.

About two-thirds had been classified as spoiled, meaning voters needed to complete and submit replacement ballots. Others had problems that could potentially be corrected without casting an entirely new ballot.

Problems included missing witness information, signatures and improperly sealed envelopes.

Those figures do not mean 3,700 votes have been permanently rejected. Election officials notify voters of problems and provide opportunities to correct them, depending on state law.

Tim Tsujii, elections director in Forsyth County, North Carolina, told Hearst Television that as of Oct. 26, his office had spoiled 173 absentee ballots and sent replacements to affected voters. Another 24 ballots were awaiting corrections.

Tsujii said his office was contacting voters about those problems and working to resolve them.

“Typically it’s because it’s missing a signature. The witness signature,” Tsujii said when asked about common ballot problems.

North Carolina requires absentee voters to have either two witnesses or a notary public complete the required certification.

Other states have different requirements for signatures, envelopes, identification and correcting errors.

Carol Evans, vice president of policy at Common Cause, cautioned against interpreting the North Carolina findings as evidence of widespread problems with mail voting nationally.

“We are not seeing systemic concerns with vote by mail. Vote by mail is safe and secure,” Evans told Hearst Television.

She encouraged voters to follow their ballot instructions carefully and check whether election officials have received their ballots.

How to check whether your mail ballot was accepted

Many states offer online tracking systems that allow voters to check the progress of their mail ballots.

Some systems show when a ballot was mailed to the voter, when it was returned, and whether it was accepted by election officials.

“Given that we’re within a week of the election, we also encourage voters that have any concerns about whether their ballot has arrived to track their ballot. Most states let you track your ballot,” Evans said.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), a federal agency that provides election information and guidance, encourages voters to familiarize themselves with their state’s requirements and points them to official resources for tracking ballots and understanding how problems can be corrected.

Here’s how voters can put that guidance into practice:

1. Visit NASED’s state voter-information directory or the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s voter resources for links to official state election websites.
2. Check your ballot’s status. If tracking is available, look for confirmation that the ballot was received and, where reported separately, accepted.
3. Act quickly if there’s a problem. Contact your local election office to find out whether you can correct an error, submit a replacement ballot or use another legally permitted voting method.

Some states allow voters to correct certain ballot problems after Election Day. Others impose earlier deadlines, and some problems require an entirely new ballot.

That’s why voters should check their own state’s rules rather than assume the same deadlines apply nationwide.

Evans said for additional assistance, voters can call the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). The hotline connects voters with trained volunteers who can help answer questions and address voting problems.

The Postal Service says dropping a ballot in a mailbox doesn’t necessarily mean it will receive that day’s postmark. Changes to mail transportation and processing can mean a piece of mail is postmarked after the day it was collected.

That distinction can be particularly important in states that accept ballots arriving after Election Day, provided they were postmarked by the required deadline.

USPS says voters can request a free manual postmark by bringing their completed ballot to a Postal Service retail counter.