WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) Jan. 15 led 14 Senators in condemning a recent announcement from the United States Postal Service or USPS regarding postmarking practices that will make it harder for Americans to vote by mail, especially those living in rural communities.
Right before the holiday season, USPS clarified its recent practices in a rule stating, “the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece.” Due to recent Postal Service consolidations, this policy would have significant negative impacts on election administration in vote-by-mail states like California that rely on postmarks to decipher ballot eligibility, while hampering access to basic services like prescription drug deliveries, tax returns, and bill payments.
The Senators emphasized that many states determine mail-in ballot eligibility using the postmark date, and this change could lead to more ballots being rejected. Experts estimate at least a one-day delay for postmarks and mail delivery in rural areas.
They also highlighted that recent cost-cutting measures at USPS have led to facility closures and consolidations that acutely impact seniors, rural residents, and small businesses who rely on USPS for important personal and financial correspondence. Along with voting and tax issues, delayed postmarks will lead to application denials, late fees, missed deadlines for legal document submissions, overdue notices, and other challenges.
Before coming to the Senate, Padilla established automatic and same-day voter registration, upgraded California’s voting systems to meet higher security standards, and expanded mail-in and in-person early voting as California’s Secretary of State.
Read RLN’s story USPS Postmark Clarification Raises Concerns For Voting, Health Care Deadlines here.
Details: Read the full letter here