More mail-in disasters ahead w/USPS post-marking changes
- Jan 6
- 2 min read
Thank you, Erin Marie Joyce for this info.
This is no surprise to many on this list such as Ned Jones & The Federalist who have been warning about the USPS's proposed rule that will impact WHEN a mail-in ballot is post-marked.
Now it's in effect. The question now is what to do about it.
Will likely launch a wave of litigation over WHEN mail-in ballots were actually received, especially with cases about this before SCOTUS.
See coverage:
How this new mail rule could affect your ballot, your tax return and more
"The rule, which went into effect on Christmas Eve, defines the meaning of a postmark, the date printed or stamped on most mailed items. In the past, the postmark generally indicated the date the USPS received the item. Now, it will explicitly mean the date that the USPS processes the item."
"In states such as California and Nevada, ballots need to be postmarked by Election Day to be counted, otherwise they will be late and not included. In the past, voters could usually expect a postmark on their ballot the same day they dropped it off. But new, longer transit distances for your mail could mean more time between dropping a ballot off at the post office and receiving a postmark — and possibly the difference between your vote counting and missing the deadline."
Even Brookings Institute, a proponent of mail-in balloting, is concerned:
When a postmark no longer tracks mailing
DFA now makes it more common that mail is postmarked with a delay (i.e., a day or more after mailing), creating new risks for elections, tax filings, and legal deadlines that depend on postmark dates.
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