However you choose to vote in Tuesday’s election, it’s critical to have a plan to cast your ballot.
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who vote by mail, recent difficulties experienced by the United States Postal Service mean it’s even more important to have a plan to ensure your ballot makes it into the hands of election workers on time.
If you can, return your ballot in person—even if you received it by mail. Every state but Tennessee permits voters to return their ballots in person, so don’t risk your vote by dropping your ballot in the mail.
Federal law requires USPS to “provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas” and to “give the highest consideration to the requirements for the most expeditious collection, transportation, and delivery of important letter mail.”
This includes election mail.
Unfortunately, although the Postal Service pays lip service to its efforts to ensuring election-related mail, including ballots, is delivered in a timely fashion, it hasn’t lived up to its promises.
In its report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, USPS admitted that it failed to deliver on time nearly one-third of the mail that should have been delivered in three to five days (including election mail). In some parts of the country, that failure rate was as high as 54.5%.
Applying USPS’ own metrics, this means that the Postal Service would have failed to deliver nearly 10 million ballots on time.
Part of the cause of these delays is that ballots and other election mail aren’t being given priority processing, which USPS regulations require. Effectively, some ballots are left on the sorting room floor at the end of each day.
Further to the point, the Postal Service’s own inspector general highlighted problems with USPS’ inability to deliver ballots on time, expressing concerns in a July audit report that USPS’ “processes and policies … could pose a risk of delays in the processing and delivery of election and political mail.”
Within those findings, the inspector general discovered, for example, that “Postal Service personnel did not always comply with the election and political mail policy and procedures” necessary for timely delivery of the mail and applied processes inconsistently or an insufficiently. Specific processes for handling ballots “were not fully effective,” the inspector general said.
For its part, the Postal Service reminds voters to mail their ballots early to ensure an on-time delivery. This is good advice, but the problem is that USPS’ promised delivery of election mail slips nearly every election. USPS now suggests that voters should plan that it could take up to a week for their ballot to reach elections officials.
It’s clear that the Postal Service is struggling. Although USPS has promised to do better in advance of Nov. 5—and we all hope it succeeds—voters shouldn’t test those promises with their ballots. News of USPS’ difficulties is important for those waiting to receive birthday or holiday cards or wedding invitations, but timeliness is even more important when it’s your vote.
Trusting your ballot to ballot drop boxes is not necessarily better, as there is still a period where your ballot is unattended and in transit before being received by election officials. Just last week, two ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire by someone intent on disrupting the election process.
Take the safe route and don’t leave delivery of your ballot to chance—return your ballot in person. In most states, this is as simple as dropping off your ballot at your polling location or at your local board of elections office. This way, you can be assured that your ballot makes it into the ballot box for counting.
Instructions for how to return your mail ballot in person may be included with your mail ballot. If you’re unsure how to proceed, call your local elections office and ask. Or, you can visit your state’s official website for assistance.
If you don’t have that information handy, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission provides a helpful guide that lists contact information for elections office in each state. In any event, elections officials will be happy to assist you in returning your ballot in person.
Someday, the Postal Service may be back in fighting shape and this warning won’t be necessary. But, at least for now, returning your ballot by mail shouldn’t be a voter’s first choice. And if you are unable to return the ballot in person, place it in a ballot drop box or mail it as soon as possible.
So, if you’re able, set your mind at ease by returning your ballot to election officials in person.
Doing so will ensure your ballot isn’t subject to the storms at a troubled Postal Service—leave that for the bills. Instead, your vote will arrive safely and securely for your local ballot box before the close of the polls, where it belongs.
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