A new U.S. Postal Service rule on how your mail is handled could affect your ballot, taxes and other time-sensitive deliveries.
The rule, which went into effect on Christmas Eve, defines the meaning of a postmark, the date printed or stamped on most mailed items. In the past, the postmark generally indicated the date the USPS received the item. Now, it will explicitly mean the date that the USPS processes the item.
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The update “does not change any existing postal operations or postmarking practices, but is instead intended to improve public understanding of postmarks and their relationship to the date of mailing,” the new Postal Service rule reads.
While it seems like a small tweak, the rule raises major questions for legal and administrative systems that rely on postmarks to indicate when something was mailed.
One example: mail-in ballots.
In states such as California and Nevada, ballots need to be postmarked by Election Day to be counted, otherwise they will be late and not included. In the past, voters could usually expect a postmark on their ballot the same day they dropped it off. But new, longer transit distances for your mail could mean more time between dropping a ballot off at the post office and receiving a postmark — and possibly the difference between your vote counting and missing the deadline.
The beleaguered postal system is undergoing a broad reorganization, including the consolidation of nearly 200 sectional facilities – where mail is typically postmarked – into 60 regional processing locations, which are likely to receive fewer truck dropoffs per day.
While it seems like a small tweak, the rule raises major questions for legal and administrative systems that rely on postmarks to indicate when something was mailed. File photo by Andrew Kelly
More than 70% of post offices will now be more than 50 miles away from a regional processing center, according to an analysis from the Brookings Institution. More than 25% of post offices will be 150 miles or more away.
For mail senders, there are ways to ensure your ballot and tax documents are in compliance with deadlines. The IRS permits private carriers like FedEx or UPS to deliver your documents.
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But not all election boards make the same allowances, so be sure to check your state and local rules. The USPS recommends bringing any mail items that need a day-of postmark to a staffed retail location and asking for a free, manual postmark.
Otherwise, if you drop important documents in the mailbox, be sure to do it before your deadline.
