January 1, Mail-in Ballot Rules Tighten, Doubts Grow

Wyatt’s Take

• USPS wants voters to prove when ballots are mailed, not rely on postmarks.
• New rules could make it harder for mail-in ballots to count.
• Push grows for stricter limits on mail-in voting and more in-person voting.

USPS is rolling out a big change: voters will have to show exactly when their ballot was received by the postal service. Their new mail system can’t guarantee the postmark date matches the actual day the ballot enters the system.

Now, folks are expected to prove that date themselves. “While the presence of a postmark on a mailpiece confirms that the postal service was in possession of the mailpiece on the date of the postmark’s inscription, the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which USPS first accepted possession of a mailpiece,” the agency wrote.

To get proof, voters may need to talk to a postal clerk, buy a “Certificate of Mailing,” or pay extra for registered mail. This is a major shift from how things have always worked with taxes, payments, and ballots in 19 states plus D.C. that let ballots count if they’re postmarked by Election Day.

All this comes after USPS moved mail processing into big regional centers in 2021. Mail can now sit for days before getting its postmark, especially in rural places. None of this is easy on regular voters.

President Trump saw these problems and called for tougher rules on mail voting. He wants all ballots counted only if received by Election Day. Many say that would solve the mess, making USPS’s changes much less important.

Problems with postmarks are one more reason to cut back mail-in voting, returning to common-sense absentee voting with a real excuse. Twenty states still let ballots count if mailed by Election Day, but most others require them to be there on time. It might be time for all states to adopt stricter rules.

Read the full story

Wyatt Matters

This rule change means more responsibility for average Americans, especially in rural communities who already deal with mail delays. Honest and fair elections depend on rules folks can trust and understand. Keeping voting simple and secure matters to hardworking families across the heartland.