The United States Postal Service recommends getting mail-in ballots mailed by Oct. 27, one week before Election Day.
While some states accept ballots after the election if they are postmarked by Election Day, others only count ballots received by election officials before the close of polls.
In an Oct. 15 press call, USPS Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Steve Monteith assured voters that it is safe to vote by mail this year, and officials urged for voters to try to get their ballots in a week before Election Day. In the 2022 and 2024 elections, .01% of ballots cast by mail were not delivered to election officials by Election Day.
The postal officials are urging voters
to mail their ballots ahead of Election Day because of varying rules by states and mail processing changes that may cause ballots not be postmarked right away.
For months, election officials at the state and local levels have directed voters worried about their ballots being returned to place ballots in drop boxes, if available, or take them directly to a local election office. Processes vary across states though, and according to the National Conference of Statue Legislatures, the following 11 states prohibit drop-off boxes: Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
In September, the Supreme Court did not allow a new mail-in ballot rule pushed by President Donald Trump to take effect. The rule, which state election officials warned would cause chaos, would have required state and local election officials to submit voters’ names and addresses to USPS through a new portal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USPS recommends mailing ballots by Oct. 27
