Another national election has arrived, and Election and Political Mail is already moving through the postal system.
What is the difference between Election Mail and Political Mail? Election Mail is any item mailed to or from authorized election officials that enables citizens to participate in the voting process. This includes ballots, voter registration cards, and absentee applications.
Political Mail is material sent for campaign purposes by registered candidates, campaign committees, or political parties to promote candidates, referendums, or campaigns. Material mailed by a political action committee or organization engaging in advocacy or voter mobilization is also considered Political Mail.
What is our role as the Postal Service’s oversight agency in the Election Mail and Political Mail process? Our special agents investigate complaints of illegal or improper activities by postal employees during elections. In addition, around every midterm and general election, our Office of Audit plays an important role reviewing the Postal Service’s preparations to deliver Election and Political Mail and its performance in doing so. And then, in the weeks leading up to and through the election, our auditors, with significant support from our investigators, make unannounced visits to postal facilities throughout the country.
For the upcoming general election, our auditors and investigators have already started our planned but unannounced visits to 1,000 postal facilities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to review processes, controls, and Election Mail visibility. We use these visits to identify problems that may require immediate action by the Postal Service. We quickly inform the Postal Service about what we found and will summarize this work in a report on the Postal Service’s 2024 election performance that will issue after the election. We are committed to verifying the efficient and reliable delivery of Political and Election Mail nationwide.
This summer, we released our audit evaluating the Postal Service’s readiness for timely processing and delivery of Election and Political Mail during the 2024 primary and general elections.
You can visit our Election Mail page to learn more about our activities and our work.
Are you planning on voting by mail this election?