2024 U.S. Postal Service Election Mail Fact Sheet The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail. In 2024, just as we have in previous elections, the Postal Service will collect, process, transport, and deliver the nation’s Election Mail when public policy makers choose to use the mail as a part of their election system or when voters choose to use our services to participate in an election. We will employ our robust and proven processes to ensure proper handling and delivery of all Election Mail, including ballots. For past performance information, see our 2020 and 2022 Election Mail reports. Key Points • • • • •
The Postal Service is ready to deliver your ballot on time. But don’t delay. If you choose to vote by mail, please mail early. The organization was successful in 2020 delivering a historic volume of mail in ballots. It repeated that success in 2022 and will do so again in November 2024. The Postal Service has more than enough operational capacity to deliver the nation’s ballots in the final weeks of the election. o In 2020, ballots accounted for just 0.11% of the Postal Service’s total mail volume. In the 2020 general election, the Postal Service delivered 99.89 percent of ballots mailed by voters to election officials within seven days. The 2022 midterm elections saw a similar level of on-time performance, with 99.93 percent of ballot mail delivered within the same timeframe.
Extraordinary Measures (Starting Oct. 21) We routinely monitor performance in all of our facilities, and we implement certain processes and procedures specific to Election Mail all year round, including advancing election Mail ahead of other mail in processing and using daily “all clears” to ensure that all Election Mail is accounted for in the system and that mail scheduled or “committed” to go out is processed accordingly. Starting Oct. 21, local postal management is authorized and expected to use extraordinary measures, such as the following, to accelerate the delivery of ballot mail, when the Postal Service is able to identify the mailpiece as a ballot. These measures are consistent with our efforts in past elections. The Postal Service’s extraordinary measures include but are not limited to: • •
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Retail Operations: Post offices may establish a dedicated line for ballot postmarks and drivethrough ballot drop options, staffed through Election Day. Extra Deliveries and Collections: the Postal Service will make additional deliveries and collections to ensure timely delivery of ballots. Early collections will be run on Nov. 2, Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, with special runs to Boards of Elections on those days and the last day that Boards of Elections will accept ballots as timely in states that accept ballot mail after Election Day. Special Pickups: Postmasters will arrange after-hours handoffs with Boards of Elections and utilize the Express Mail network for completed ballots entered close to Election Day. Misprinted ballots will be redirected. Local Carriers: Carriers will check every residential mailbox for outgoing mail starting Oct. 21. Processing Plants: Facilities will utilize special sort plans to “hold out” ballot mail early in the process to expedite delivery to Boards of Election. Ballots for non-local destinations will be expedited using Priority Mail Express if needed.