A new USPS rule clarifying that postmarks no longer reflect when mail is first accepted has created a serious threat to voting rights. Under current operations, postmarks are applied at regional processing hubs rather than local post offices, meaning ballots dropped off days before an election may receive postmarks dated after Election Day. This operational reality will result in eligible voters having their ballots rejected through no fault of their own.
Mail-in voting accounted for 30% of turnout in the 2024 election. Currently, 14 states accept ballots received after Election Day if postmarked by Election Day, but four states eliminated their grace periods in 2025. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read warned voters that ballots mailed after October 30 might not receive timely postmarks for the November 4 election. California Attorney General Rob Bonta advised voters living more than 50 miles from USPS processing hubs to cast ballots early for a special election. These warnings acknowledge a system that now penalizes voters based on their proximity to regional facilities, disproportionately affecting rural communities.
The Constitution grants Congress explicit authority to establish the Postal Service. Congress must exercise this power by enacting legislation requiring election mail to be postmarked on the day it is received at any postal facility. The USPS instituted this rule as a cost-cutting measure, but this operational change cannot be allowed to disenfranchise voters.
I urge you to introduce or co-sponsor legislation mandating same-day postmarking for election mail and providing the funding necessary to restore service levels that protect voting rights. The Postal Service exists to serve Americans, not to operate as a profit-driven corporation. Adequate funding would eliminate the need for operational shortcuts that compromise democratic participation. Voting rights depend on a functional postal system that treats every ballot with the urgency it deserves.
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