Postmark rules have changed. Experts say vote early or use a drop box

"In December of last year, a new US Postal Service rule took effect that could have a dramatic impact on this year's elections and beyond, potentially invalidating thousands of mailed-in ballots. That new rule, proposed by Trump administration officials last August, changes the meaning of a postmark. While a postmark confirms that the post office is in possession of the piece of mail, the rule says, the date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece."

"The old system allowed voters in California and many other states to drop their ballots in a mailbox on Election Day, knowing their votes would count. The new rule is part of a broader attack by the Trump administration on vote-by-mail, which was used by more than 48 million Americans in 2024. Donald Trump has repeatedly spread disinformation about the reliability of mail-in voting, calling it crooked, and has called for the practice to be banned."

"Why does the new postmark definition matter? As the Fair Elections Center lays out, the rule change may cause problems for thousands of eligible voters who cast their ballots by mail because election officials in many states qualify mail-in ballots based on the postmark date, California among them. An untold number of voters are now at risk for having their votes disqualified, the center says, should the"

A USPS rule effective in December changes how a postmark date is defined. The rule states that the date on a postmark does not necessarily match the date the Postal Service first accepted the mailpiece. Previously, mail was postmarked the day the Postal Service received it, allowing voters in California and other states to drop ballots in mailboxes on Election Day with confidence they would count. The rule is part of broader efforts targeting vote-by-mail, including claims that mail voting is unreliable and calls to ban it. Related actions include an executive order seeking state citizenship lists for federal control over who can vote by mail and a Supreme Court case arguing states should not count late-arriving ballots even if postmarked by Election Day.

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