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Tag: mail-in ballots

  • Cook County clerk urges early mail-in voting amid USPS postmark change before March 17 primary

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    A little less than six weeks before the March 17 primary election, Democratic Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon urged mail-in voters on Wednesday to return their ballots early amid a change in federal government procedures that she warned could make it harder to vote.

    Gordon tied her concerns to the United States Postal Service’s recent decision, effective Jan. 1, to alter postmarking processes. While postmarks in the past were typically applied on the day an item was mailed, they are now listed as the day an item was processed at a USPS facility.

    While the change might appear small, it could mean the difference of a day or more between ballots dropped in the mail and being postmarked, resulting in those mailed near the March 17 deadline not being postmarked by Election Day and therefore deemed invalid, even if a voter does “everything right,” Gordon said during a news conference.

    “While this change has been described as minor, its impact on elections could be anything,” she said. “Do not wait until the final days or Election Day to mail your ballot.”

    The USPS change comes after Republican President Donald Trump said last year he might take control of the postal service, which operates as an independent agency with leaders appointed by presidents, most recently Trump.

    It also follows numerous false, misleading and unsupported claims by Trump that mail-in voting is prone to rampant fraud, even calling it “a whole big scam” in 2020 before he later lost his presidential reelection bid. In addition, Republicans, led by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of downstate Murphysboro, have challenged Illinois’ law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted 14 days later, a case that the U.S. Supreme Court recently said could move forward.

    Still, even as the president and Republicans have generally argued against mail-in balloting, the Republican National Committee and the Illinois Republican Party have ramped up efforts to encourage GOP voters to cast ballots by mail.

    Asked if she viewed the policy shift as a voting suppression effort, Gordon said she thought “it is possible.”

    “I am trying to be as objective as possible here, but across the country, historically, we have seen efforts of sophisticated voter suppression,” she said. “We will not allow our votes to be suppressed. We will not allow our voters’ voices not to be heard.”

    But Gordon had little to say when asked about Trump’s calls during a Monday podcast appearance to “nationalize the voting,” which would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Trump told his former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that he wants Republicans to “take over the voting” in “at least many — 15 places” while making vague, unsubstantiated claims of voting fraud.

    “I have not had communication with the federal government,” Gordon said. “I’m never concerned about voter fraud here in Illinois.”

    The county clerk urged voters returning mail-in ballots close to the March 17 election to instead take them directly to a post office and request that it be postmarked at the counter. And beginning March 2, voters can return ballots at 55 drop boxes across suburban Cook County, she said. The Cook County clerk’s office oversees elections for suburban Cook County communities. The Chicago Board of Elections oversees elections in the city.

    Gordon’s office plans to send advisories to mail-ballot voters to reinforce the warning, she added.

    USPS has pushed back against such concerns, calling it a “myth” that the postmarking process is changing in a statement on its website. The postal service said instead that transportation changes are occurring “that will result in some mail pieces not arriving at our originating processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed.”

    USPS spokesperson Timothy Norman said in a statement to the Tribune that the agency has long recommended voters drop off ballots before Election Day. He encouraged voters to visit a post office and request a manual postmark if needed.

    “We employ a long-standing, robust and proven process to ensure proper handling and delivery of all Election Mail, including ballots,” Norman said.

    Gordon’s election deputy, Edmond Michalowski, said mail dropped off at boxes in the past was postmarked at local post centers.

    “Now it has to go to a distribution center before it is routed,” he told reporters. “We’re not sure how this is going to affect those voters.”

    Gordon said she did not know why the USPS change had been made. “But what I do know is that it’s ill timing. We got to do what we can to make sure that we get those ballots in on time,” she said.

    Gordon declined to estimate how many ballots could be affected by the postmarking change.

    Around 170,000 mail ballots will be sent to suburban voters for the 2026 primary, Michalowski said. Most of the returned ballots typically come “in a wave up front,” “and then they taper off closer to Election Day,” he added.

    Gordon said more ballots typically come in as media coverage of elections ramps up. She called the rules change “unprecedented” and conceded she did not know what to expect from it.

    “Every vote matters, and no voters should lose their voice because of confusion or delay,” she said. “We urge all voters to make a voting plan.”

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    Jake Sheridan

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  • Do CA envelope holes lead to discarded ballots? No

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    Are holes in California mail-in ballot envelopes there so certain votes can be discarded? That’s what some social media users said. 

    “Gavin Newsom’s redistricting election is going to be RIGGED,” a verified X account, Wall Street Apes, said in an Oct. 9 post. “If you Vote No on prop 50 to stop the redistricting, it shows through the envelope. This makes it easier for Democrats to identify them and throw them in the trash.”

    The post, which had 4.7 million views as of Oct. 14, included a photo of a vote-by-mail envelope. A small hole in the envelope showed a mark on the ballot inside.

    Another post from the conservative Libs of Tiktok X account made a similar claim. 

    “If California voters vote ‘NO’ on Gavin Newscum’s redistricting plan, it will show their answer through a hole in the envelope,” according to the Oct. 12 post, which had 5.8 million views as of Oct. 14. “All Democrats do is cheat.” 

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    The Libs of TikTok post included a video originally posted to TikTok by Steve Hilton, a Republican running for California governor. Hilton said the video showed a California voter filling in the “no” oval on California’s redistricting Proposition 50. The voter folded the ballot and inserted it into a Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelope. He then tapped the left side of the envelope on a table. A filled-in oval became visible through a hole in the envelope.

    Sacramento’s vote-by-mail envelopes have three small holes. They’ve had these for years. There are eight ways voters can insert a ballot into the envelope. Depending on how someone inserts a ballot, the oval voters fill out to cast their vote might be visible through the holes. But the holes don’t show the text next to the oval that indicates how a person voted. And the envelopes’ holes aren’t evidence of cheating or nefarious activity. 

    Two holes were designed in the envelope to make it easier for low-vision voters to cast mail ballots. The third hole gives election officials a quick view of an envelope’s contents to ensure the ballot was removed for counting. Only two of the ways voters can insert their ballots in the envelope might show voting marks. Voters can insert their ballot in a way that no marks are visible. 

    California Republicans have taken to social media to assure people their votes can remain secret by folding their ballots in certain ways.

    “Please don’t panic people about something that is easily addressed by turning their ballot around. We need every no vote and we need them now,” the chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles, Roxanne Hoge, who opposes the ballot measure, said in an Oct. 11 X post. Hoge shared a video of her folding and placing her mom’s mail-in ballot in an envelope so that no vote marks are visible.

    On Nov. 4, Californians will vote on Proposition 50, which will determine the state’s congressional map. If it passes, California will redraw its congressional districts, likely giving Democrats five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

    Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading the ballot measure in response to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort, which added five likely Republican seats.

    Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelopes have holes for accessibility purposes

    Since 2008, Sacramento’s vote-by-mail envelope has featured two holes punched into the back and one punched into the front.

    California vote-by-mail envelopes differ by county, so not all envelopes have holes and not all envelope holes reveal voting marks. However, the punched-in holes are considered best practice in the state, California’s Secretary of State office told PolitiFact. 

    The two punched-in holes on the front of Scaramento’s envelope appear on either side of the envelope’s signature area, signaling to low-vision voters where they should sign. The hole in the envelope’s front lets election officials know that the envelope is empty and therefore the ballot has been counted, Janna Haynes, Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections’ public information manager, said in a video.

    It’s possible to insert ballots in envelopes so marks aren’t visible through holes

    There are at least eight ways voters can insert mail-in ballots into envelopes, according to Sacramento County’s elections department. Two of those might show voting marks through the envelope’s holes. 

    “There is no way to determine how a voter voted through this small hole,” the department said in an Oct. 8 news release. 

    The envelope holes aren’t large enough to show the filled in oval and the “yes” or “no” text showing how someone voted.

    In the county’s video, Haynes recommended that voters who are concerned their votes might be visible fold their ballots so the text is on the inside. Sacramento’s ballot only has one question on it so the back of the paper is blank. 

    “If this is still a concern to some of you that don’t want to mail in your vote, we do have 31 vote centers that will be open for the Nov. 4 election where you can vote in person,” Haynes said.

    She also recommended voters who vote by mail to sign up for BallotTrax, a service that tells voters when their ballot has been mailed, received and counted.  

    The social media posts claim that the envelope holes would allow for certain ballots to be thrown away. It is a felony under California law for election officials to tamper with peoples’ votes, including by discarding them. 

    “Our staff is dedicated to fair and ethical elections. Each employee is sworn in before they can access ballots to uphold a fair election,” Haynes told PolitiFact. “No single employee is ever alone with ballots. We have cameras and oversight in all our rooms.”

    Our ruling

    An X post said, “If you vote no on Prop 50 to stop the redistricting, it shows through the envelope,” making it easy for Democrats to cheat.

    Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelopes were designed with two holes to make it easier for low-vision voters to cast ballots. A third hole helps election officials affirm that they’ve counted every ballot. There is no evidence that the holes are being used for nefarious purposes, and it is a felony for election officials to tamper with or discard ballots.

    There are several ways to fold ballots and place them into the envelopes. Two of those might result in voting marks being visible through the envelope holes. But none shows how a person voted.

    Voters can fold ballots so the blank side of the page faces outward, and no marks can be seen through the envelope’s holes. 

    The statement contains an element of truth; there are certain ways to insert a ballot into the envelope that might make voting marks visible. But the statement ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. The envelope design is for accessibility purposes and to ensure all votes are counted, not for nefarious purposes or to rig an election. There’s no evidence that “no” votes will be discarded.

    We rate the claim Mostly False.

    PolitiFact Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman contributed to this report.

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  • Trump Plans To Eliminate Mail-in Ballots – KXL

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    Vote-by-mail ballots are shown in sorting trays (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump is moving to eliminate mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

    “Mail-in ballots are corrupt,” said the President at the White House today.  “You can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.”

    The president shared a post on Truth Social which outlined his plan “to lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots,” and it targets what he called “highly inaccurate, very expensive, and seriously controversial voting machines.” Mr. Trump has previously claimed there has been widespread voter fraud involving mail-in ballots and pledged to fight for election integrity.

    Mr. Trump insisted there needs to be change when it comes to the matter.

    “All of the money they’ve spent, it’s approximately ten time more expensive than paper ballots, and paper ballots are very sophisticated with the watermark paper and everything else.”

    While the president’s post is calling for an end to the mail-in ballots, an effort to dramatically overhaul the way federal elections are run has faced legal roadblocks in recent months.

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    Tim Lantz

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  • U.S. Postal Service urges voters to mail ballots early

    U.S. Postal Service urges voters to mail ballots early

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    The U.S. Postal Service says it has the capacity to handle an uptick in election mail, but officials are urging voters to send in their ballots early. Beginning this week, the Postal Service is taking several steps to speed up election mail, from extra deliveries to specialized sorting plans at processing facilities. The Postal Service says that in the first three weeks of October, 99.9% of the election mail was delivered within seven days.”The nation’s postal network is operating effectively without any major reported disruptions,” Steve Monteith, chief customer and marketing officer for the Postal Service, told reporters on Wednesday. Still, officials say voters should not wait to mail in their ballots. “We do recommend that they return their ballot at least seven days prior to the election, but voters also need to be very mindful of whatever their specific state rules and deadlines are,” said Adrienne Marshall, the election and government mail services director for the Postal Service. Sylvia Albert, policy counsel for the advocacy group Common Cause, said voters should check their state’s deadline for accepting ballots sent by mail. “The largest concern I would have is not around the Postal Service, but around the laws in states which vary greatly as to whether or not your ballot can be received after election day even if it is postmarked before,” Albert said. “If you are in a location that needs a ballot received by election day and we’re past November 1st, then consider taking it to a drop box or driving it to a county election office.”Last month, several groups representing state and local election officials raised concerns about the Postal Service’s ability to deliver election mail in a timely and accurate manner. In a follow-up letter earlier this month, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) said their concerns were not fully addressed after a meeting with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “A more open meeting with Postmaster DeJoy would have allowed us to further emphasize the concerns Chief Election Officials have. There are numerous unresolved issues, and we simply need more specifics on the solutions he has proposed,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who also serves as president of the NASS. Asked about that criticism, Monteith said the Postal Service is continuing to collaborate with state and local officials, including through one-on-one conversations with Secretaries of State. “We remain dedicated to resolving any problems promptly and efficiently,” Monteith said. Meanwhile, Monteith said the Postal Service is making progress restoring mail service in areas impacted by recent hurricanes. As of Tuesday, he said all postal service processing facilities and most retail and delivery units have reopened in North Carolina and Florida. Monteith also stressed that full recovery would take time. He said about 4,600 addresses in North Carolina and about 600 in Florida are still without mail service. Monteith said customers impacted by Hurricane Helene can arrange to pick up mail at designated post offices. The Postal Service is also rolling out mobile retail units to serve affected communities as quickly as possible.

    The U.S. Postal Service says it has the capacity to handle an uptick in election mail, but officials are urging voters to send in their ballots early.

    Beginning this week, the Postal Service is taking several steps to speed up election mail, from extra deliveries to specialized sorting plans at processing facilities.

    The Postal Service says that in the first three weeks of October, 99.9% of the election mail was delivered within seven days.

    “The nation’s postal network is operating effectively without any major reported disruptions,” Steve Monteith, chief customer and marketing officer for the Postal Service, told reporters on Wednesday.

    Still, officials say voters should not wait to mail in their ballots.

    “We do recommend that they return their ballot at least seven days prior to the election, but voters also need to be very mindful of whatever their specific state rules and deadlines are,” said Adrienne Marshall, the election and government mail services director for the Postal Service.

    Sylvia Albert, policy counsel for the advocacy group Common Cause, said voters should check their state’s deadline for accepting ballots sent by mail.

    “The largest concern I would have is not around the Postal Service, but around the laws in states which vary greatly as to whether or not your ballot can be received after election day even if it is postmarked before,” Albert said. “If you are in a location that needs a ballot received by election day and we’re past November 1st, then consider taking it to a drop box or driving it to a county election office.”

    Last month, several groups representing state and local election officials raised concerns about the Postal Service’s ability to deliver election mail in a timely and accurate manner. In a follow-up letter earlier this month, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) said their concerns were not fully addressed after a meeting with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

    “A more open meeting with Postmaster DeJoy would have allowed us to further emphasize the concerns Chief Election Officials have. There are numerous unresolved issues, and we simply need more specifics on the solutions he has proposed,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who also serves as president of the NASS.

    Asked about that criticism, Monteith said the Postal Service is continuing to collaborate with state and local officials, including through one-on-one conversations with Secretaries of State.

    “We remain dedicated to resolving any problems promptly and efficiently,” Monteith said.

    Meanwhile, Monteith said the Postal Service is making progress restoring mail service in areas impacted by recent hurricanes. As of Tuesday, he said all postal service processing facilities and most retail and delivery units have reopened in North Carolina and Florida.

    Monteith also stressed that full recovery would take time. He said about 4,600 addresses in North Carolina and about 600 in Florida are still without mail service.

    Monteith said customers impacted by Hurricane Helene can arrange to pick up mail at designated post offices. The Postal Service is also rolling out mobile retail units to serve affected communities as quickly as possible.

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  • Trump, Youngkin urge early voting during tele-rally – WTOP News

    Trump, Youngkin urge early voting during tele-rally – WTOP News

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    Former President Donald Trump appears to have softened his opposition to mail-in ballots.

    This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury. 

    With early voting now underway in Virginia, former President Donald Trump appears to have warmed up to the practice of sending out mail-in ballots to voters for the November general election — a position contrary to his many deprecatory comments regarding mail-in voting.

    “In this election we must use every appropriate tool to beat the radical left Democrats, that’s why I am urging every Virginia patriot to vote early, and don’t wait,” Trump said during a telephone rally hosted by Gov. Glenn Youngkin Sunday evening. “You’ve heard a lot about voting by mail, but that’s what we have right now.”

    On the 15-minute call, Trump asked Republican voters to cast their ballots “either by mail, early in person or on Election Day.”

    “We have long term voting, we used to have one day, paper ballots, all the things that you know we want to do, but you’re in the first group and I am asking you to get your friends, get your family, get everyone you know and make a plan to vote for Trump,” the GOP’s presidential nominee said.

    Virginia is one of just three states — the other two being Minnesota and South Dakota — where early voting started on Friday, 45 days before the Nov. 5 election. At least 59,686 Virginians have since cast their ballots as of Sunday evening, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.

    With just 895 returned ballots, mail-in voting marked just a fraction of the total number of votes cast by that time.

    Trump has consistently spoken against mail-in voting on the campaign trail while spouting conspiracy theories and falsely claiming that the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden by more than 7 million votes had been stolen from him.

    “Mail-in voting is totally corrupt. Get that through your head. It has to be,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan in February. And during an interview with the British GB News in March, he asserted that “anytime the mail is involved, you’re going to have cheating.”

    Trump’s cautious embrace of early and mail-in voting aligns with the GOP’s slow acceptance of a practice that has expanded the tent of voters nationwide in recent years and proven to be beneficial for increasing turnout on both sides of the aisle.

    “Both campaigns are really talking about the election in apocalyptic terms, and this is really motivating voters,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.

    “Early voting absolutely works for campaigns; you don’t have to worry about getting voters to the polls on Election Day. If the ballot is locked in at election time, it gets a lot easier, and election officials can focus on voters who haven’t made it to the polls,” Farnsworth said

    During Sunday’s telephone rally, Trump rattled off a list of different ways for Virginians to cast their ballots early.

    “Every county in Virginia has at least one early voting location, so that’s important to know. Most counties have early voting Monday through Friday. Any registered Virginia voter can get out and vote as early as possible, you can vote tomorrow,” he said.

    Trump said that he could be the first Republican presidential candidate to carry Virginia since President George W. Bush won his reelection bid in 2004.

    “Because if we are really going at it, we have a really good chance to win Virginia, there hasn’t been one in decades by a presidential candidate,” he said.

    Trump still faces an uphill battle in the commonwealth, where he trails Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, by 10 percentage points, according to a Morning Consult poll conducted between Aug. 30 and Sept. 8.

    But a more recent survey by the University of Mary Washington released last week found that the race has since tightened, with Harris leading Trump with just 48 to 46% in a two-way contest, within the poll’s margin of error.

    Virginia Democrats, however, pushed back against the narrative that the presidential race in the commonwealth was competitive.

    “While Trump is literally phoning it in here in Virginia, Team Harris-Walz and Virginia Democrats are turning unmatched enthusiasm into action, highlighting the stark contrast between Vice President Harris’ new way forward and Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda that would give him unchecked control over our daily lives,” said Virginia Democratic Party chair Susan Swecker.

    Harris has yet to campaign in the commonwealth as the Democratic presidential nominee. Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is set to visit Charlottesville on Wednesday.

    Also on Sunday’s call, Youngkin reiterated that elections in Virginia are safe and that voters can trust the process.

    “We have paper ballots, we have counting machines, not voting machines, lockboxes are under 24-7 security, and we have a great process to make sure that the ballots are not only kept but custody is clear. And finally, noncitizens will be prosecuted if they vote,” he said.

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    Matt Small

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