Election Officials Urge Early Ballot Mailing Amid Postal Delays
State and county election officials are urging voters to mail ballots early or use drop boxes to avoid rejections caused by U.S. Postal Service delays.
Election officials across several states are warning voters to return ballots well before the November 3 general election to avoid potential rejections. The urgency follows the implementation of the United States Postal Service Regional Transportation Optimization plan, which reduced pickup times at more than 15,000 post offices and potentially delayed postmarks.
Tobias Read, the Oregon Secretary of State, recommends that voters mail their ballots by October 27. This warning follows a May primary where Oregon's ballot rejection rate rose to 13% due to missing postmarks. Similarly, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is advising voters to mail ballots seven to 10 days early. In Montana, Yellowstone County Election Administrator Dayna Causby suggested a mailing deadline of October 28.
Local administration is also underway in Montana. The Missoula County Elections Office mailed ballots to over 64,000 active voters on October 9. Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman noted that postmarks are not sufficient for validity; ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. In Oregon, the deadline for residents to register or update their registration is October 13, with ballots scheduled to be mailed to active voters on October 14.
