Your ballot or other mail may not get postmarked by USPS the day it's dropped off

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

October 23, 2025 5:01 AM ET


Changes at the U.S. Postal Service are forcing people who rely on postmarks when voting, filing taxes or mailing legal documents to be extra careful when cutting it close to deadlines. Postmarks include the dates that USPS stamps on envelopes, and those are often used to determine whether a piece of first-class mail was sent on time.

But the Postal Service has proposed revising its mailing standards to say that postmark date "does not inherently or necessarily align" with the date that a mail piece was first accepted by a letter carrier or dropped off at a post office or collection box. "In other words, the date on a machine-applied postmark may reflect the date on which the mailpiece was first accepted by the Postal Service, but that is not definitively the case," USPS said in a recent Federal Register notice.

USPS hasn't changed how it applies postmarks. What has changed is that, as the mail agency continues its controversial reorganization plan, more parts of the country may not get their first-class mail processed until the day after it's collected by USPS.

That's largely because the agency has reduced how often it picks up mail in certain areas more than 50 miles away from one of its new regional processing and distribution centers. The change, USPS says, "saves money, reduces carbon emissions, and benefits processing operations" at a time when fewer people and businesses are sending first-class mail compared to decades ago.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5582370/mail-in-ballot-postmark

[Silent Type]

1. Anyone waiting close to deadline before mailing their ballot ain't paying attention or trying.

[stopdiggin]

22. Kinda' with you here. Why exactly are we playng "last minute Larry' games with our vote?

DO however think it is responsible (if not incumbent?) on the part of election officials to provide plenty of notice ... (which they appear to be doing)
But, after that ... Com'on, folks! Common sense!

[QueerDuck]

25. Exactly. I'd compare it to someone deciding to vote at 15 minutes before the polls close on election day...

but they still need to get dressed, get in the car, and drive 10 minutes to the polling place. Hopefully the traffic lights will synch-up in their favor... and then they still need to find a parking place.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. For tax and other payments, ask for today's legible stamp at the counter. Then

take a pic of the completed envelope. USPS told me about that, and no one's refused me so far.

If mailing e-postage packages, use the retail counter if you can. Get a receipt to prove the date and weight. They can bill you weeks later for being underweight. They said my package gained 1.5 POUNDS in transit. I appealed and they backed off. But others complain they had no recourse.

Time was packages were scanned twice a day locally. Now seems to be once in the evening. I've had packages sit in drop boxes inside the post office for 3 days before scanning. Beware, the employees are helpful but the system can still hurt your expectations of uniform processing.

As for all the clarity on their machine stamping, phooey! Rarely legible, they don't use enough ink.

[IbogaProject]

3. If you have to prove mailed by a date you need a "Ceritificate of Mailing"

And that requires going to a post office. I am not sure if the self serve kiosks offer that option of if you must go to a window.

[walkingman]

4. If we can afford to give Argentina 40B we sure as hell can afford to sustain and improve out mail system.

[Mysterian]

5. President Biden wouldn't fire Louis DeJoy

I assume because it required "for cause" for the President to fire a Postmaster General. Seems quaint after watching Trump fire many officials with the same requirement.

DeJoy proceeded to destroy USPS.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. He couldn't because the Board would need to do it

The President only nominates someone to a position there and gets them confirmed.

[Mysterian]

9. That's the quaint part I mentioned

The make-up splattered con man just fired, without cause, the head of the FTC, an independent agency just like USPS, and the Corrupt Court seems to be fine with that. Of course, for Biden, the Corrupt Court likely would rule differently.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. The Postal Board of Governors is a weird one vs the various Commissions (simiarly the Federal Reserve)

But agree that at this point, the "Master" John Roberts does carve-outs only for 45.

[Blackjackdavey]

40. Okay, true

But it does offer a strategy if Democrats get in the oval office again. Because right about now I sure do wish Biden did some things that made the Supremes rule against him in order to preemptively create precedent for today.

[popsdenver]

20. DeJoy

wasn't only out to destroy the USPS, but to screw with the mail in voting.......and to have FEDEX and UPS privatize the system.

The real covert prize would be obliterating one of the largest unions in the United States..................

[PATRICK]

32. The "cause"

unfortunately would be to admit a lot of the Board appointees, both Dem and GOP were on the same page with a lot of these policies.Implementation even, as horrible and Mussolini-like it was.

[usonian]

6. If you can, drop it off at a drop box.

I dropped mine off at the nuclear-bomb-proof box in front of the County Clerk's office and it was counted (BallotTrax)

Make the pilgrimage.

Sure, assholes faked drop boxes and firebombed a few, but .... what the heck.

[Wednesdays]

8. Kick and rec.

This is CRUCIALLY important for mail-in voters.

[Grins]

10. I voted by mail in Virginia....early

Dropped in the mail in the morning.

Later that night THE POST OFFICE TEXTED me saying they got my ballot.

Who needs a postmark?

Note:
A couple days later the county texted me they received my ballot.

The day they started counting I got another text saying my vote had been tabulated.

[chia]

23. Same here in CA. 3 progress texts from drop off at post office to vote recorded by CA Sec. of State

Most states have some kind of text/online ballot tracking. Highly recommend getting on your state’s program if possible.

[QueerDuck]

26. We have the option to use USPS, or drop-box at the nearby community center (the option I choose).

I also get an email letting me know that the ballot has been accepted, and a later email confirmation letting me know it's been counted. We could also drop off our ballot at a polling place on/before election day, or at the board of elections office (which in my case is much too far to drive.) In the past, I've voted by mailing my ballot in a streetside blue USPS mail collection box, and by popping it into the slot inside the post office building. But NEVER would I trust it to be left unattended in my own streetside mailbox with the red-flag up.

[BidenRocks]

11. I dropped it weeks ago.

Received, verified and counted.

I love California voting!

[Polybius]

13. Why would anyone still vote by mail in 2025?

Voting by mail was for Covid, you weren't supposed to get used to it. Vote early, and vote in person.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. PA implemented "no excuse absentee voting" BEFORE COVID

and it actually made a big difference in keeping the ability to vote intact during the important 2020 election, when here in Philly alone, over 1/2 of our 1700 voting precincts were shut down due to staffing and facility issues during COVID.

And PA does NOT have "in person early voting". The only way you can "vote early" is mail ballot (whether put in the mail or dropped off at a drop box).

I mailed my ballot last Wednesday and the state emailed me a "received" notice that next day.

[Polybius]

16. I did not know that PA did it before Covid, thanks for the info

I agree with you, it was exceptionally important to have in 2020. But I have a question for you: why still do it in 2025? What is your reason? I personally enjoy voting in person.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Trust me, I was shocked

I had been attending Telephone Town Halls given by my State Senator for a number of years and more recently had asked him about whether we would ever have mail voting and he laughed. And then one day in fall of 2019, it happened - Act 77.

The impetus behind it was that the GOP here HATED the option for "straight party voting" (i.e., being able to vote for an entire slate of candidates of one party with one lever click, button push, or filled-oval) and wanted to get rid of it. So they offered the mail voting (a/k/a "no excuse absentee ballots" ) in exchange for getting rid of the straight party voting as an incentive for our (D) governor Tom Wolf, to sign off on it. And he did.

And the first election to use it would end up being the April 2020 primary, which got pushed to June due to COVID.

We got new ES&S ExpressVote XL touchscreen machines here in Philly in fall 2019 and the November 2019 election was my first AND last time using that mess, and I have thankfully been able to mail vote since then!



(The chute on the right with the paper ballot strip that a voter would review before it got sucked into the machine had no backlight and where I voted, there was not enough overhead light to even read the damn thing... plus the "blank" paper ballots appeared to be some kind of "thermal" type paper, which was concerning to me)

[stopdiggin]

21. That is totally erroneous. Vote by mail has been around for a considerable length of time -

is hugely popular in every place that is has been offered - and, self evidently, its implementation had nothing to do with Covid.

In California the vast majority of voting - over 80% - is done by mail. 10 times easier - and 10 times more convenient while adapting to everyone's personal schedule, needs, and preference! I'll turn the question back to you ... Why on earth would anyone want to return to 'same day', OR 'in person' voting? What a needless and royal pain!

[Polybius]

24. I now know that it was a thing before Covid, but many states expanded it during 2020

Is it "hugely popular?" I know it peaked in many states during 2020, as many (not me) didn't wanna vote in person that year.

I never said that I only support "same day" voting. I do like early voting, just not very early voting; NY is perfect. We start early voting this weekend. I'm voting Sunday probably (NYC Mayor being the big thing here).

As to why I prefer voting in person, two reasons. I feel it's more secure, and I just like the atmosphere. I enjoy it.

[stopdiggin]

36. understand what you're saying (and additionally, I'll give out points for

people that are still engaged - and still 'enjoying' the process)

But I think you'll join me in acknowledging that other voters have different preferences, needs and perspective. And, yes - where provided, 'enormously popular' is about the only way to describe it. Meanwhile, and for the greatest point embedded in all this - after virtually generations of trying to encourage people to vote - there is nothing quite so idiotic, and in fact damaging and corrosive, as now turning to efforts to make the same thing more difficult and/or restrictive. THAT - no matter under what flag or rationale - is criminally stupid - and undemocratic.

[ancianita]

14. Simple. Hand your ballot to the postal clerk & at the counter; they physically will date stamp the outside of the mail.

Then take a picture of the mail person holding the date stamped envelope. The date stamp is the USPS's proof of receipt of your mail.

[Cheezoholic]

18. Anything that requires a postmarked date I will go to the Post Office, wait for however long and watch them stamp it

Have for a long time but especially the last 10 years. If they just grab my piece I'm mailing I will grab their arm (I've had to do that before) and make them postmark it. In the last few years I make them wait further whilst I take a photo of said object that MUST be postmarked by a certain date. And I'm going to turn into a bigger prick from hell moving forward concerning things like these and just about everything else. I've had it. The gloves are off. No more peaceful protest for me, no more being considerate to obvious MAGAts (and my Dawg I'm surrounded by them). As a matter of fact I let the door shut on a woman wearing a FatFuck shirt today at a convenience store. Man did it feel good hearing her drink spill when the door hit her.
Fuck 'em.

FF!!!

[Jack Valentino]

19. I've never expected that my mail would be postmarked before the next date after

it was picked up....

[no_hypocrisy]

27. I vote as early as possible when I receive my mail-in ballot.

But I have two other options in New Jersey:

A) There are more than 20 "ballot drop boxes" in my county. I can place my ballot there and the county picks it up. No problem with getting lost or late in the mail.

B) I can personally walk my ballot into the Board of Elections Office in my county. You show ID and sign a book and they take your ballot.

[Historic NY]

28. NOTE this is a fact .

I hand delivered for post marking my school tax payment at the post office on Oct 4th the counter person said she'd stamp it and I watched her do it.. The tax office called on Oct 7th looking for late fees. I went to the office in person and she showed me the canceled envelope that was stamped for the 7th.

Beware....the tax office said I wasn't the only one.

The former long time PO counter guy retired and they have temp people now. For decades he would stamp it the day it was brought in.

I had to bring it to the PO because the carrier never took it from my box on the 3rd.

[PATRICK]

31. You suggest something intrinsically illegal

IF the clerk was using a post-dated handstamp that is intrinsically illegal. Maybe the Postal Inspectors have a rationalization for that but it might be worthwhile checking. However, with such lax standards they have been removed from a lot of enforcement of codes- even egregious violations. In the plants the cancellation/coding machines are turned off on a fairly tight schedule. Even mail designated as "late" deliveries that COULD have been cancelled are held back. Outside of tracking and Express Mail(also with a time shut off dating!) you only have risky proof of actual mailing date.

I was surprised how relatively quickly people have stopped using the mail for scheduled bills. Volume is way down. Way to go for promoting the service, USPS! There are so many delayed bills when they DON'T make it neatly through automation that you also had better take care of the address and envelope integrity. Sorting by hand is under a tight timeline that doesn't respect enough the commitment. On heavy days, often on the weekend when there is no out of state delivery on Sundays- let the sender beware.

[Historic NY]

35. The post office here has to send it 90 miles away to just come back to the area

they closed the regional distribution center. Its bizarre. I have 3 PO's in town, I'm going to use of the hamlet ones with a postmaster the next time.

[Torchlight]

29. Frightening how quickly we get used to the water coming to a slow boil

And how quick we are to dismiss consciously placed obstacles to voting as little more than "well, you should have known better..."

[stopdiggin]

37. except that describing this as a 'consciously place obstacle' is in fact to misconstrue

or misstate.
If, however, you were to be pointing toward closing polling locations, or hours - removing previously accessible drop boxes, and so on .. - then your comment would bear up much better.

But, no - this not a conspiracy cooked up be the post office to infringe ....

[Torchlight]

38. I'll guess guile over incompetence.

We all read the tea leaves differently.

[stopdiggin]

39. Nope. this is a function of the way the post office operates

and 1) is not especially new, but has actually been that way .. for a while. (with sorting done in different locations) and 2) applies to dating process for all mail - while having no aim (or in fact even specific ability) toward targeting election materials.

I suppose you can guess whatever you wish - but .....

[DownriverDem]

30. If possible

take your ballot directly to the city clerk's office. That's what we do.

[PATRICK]

33. BTW expecting the public

to do critical thinking in the maze of voting ways when subtle or not so subtle roadblocks are put up obviously will not work enough. They will have THEIR election obstruction while enough trusting souls get hoodwinked to cheat the outcomes.

[meow2u3]

34. If you're going to vote by mail, don't rely on the Post Office for your ballot to arrive on time

Use a drop box or turn in your ballot at your polling station or the county courthouse to make sure your vote will count. Stalinist Rethugs will do anything to see to it your vote won't count, so let's defeat their diabolical schemes.