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USPS’s update in postmarking policy, effective December 24, 2025, stirs concerns over mail-in voting impacts, with orgs highlighting election risks
WASHINGTON — New, local concern about an update to USPS’s postmarking policy.
The agency is cautioning — your mail might not get postmarked the same day it’s dropped off.
“It sounds really small,” said Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director for FreeDC, “But this is them trying to make it more difficult to vote.”
Keya Chatterjee is the Executive Director for the advocacy organization FreeDC. Chatterjee believes people are minimizing the impact of the change.
“All these ways to make it confusing and difficult for people to vote and they’re using every lever to do that,” said Chatterjee.
Effective December 24, 2025, USPS said there is no guarantee your mail will be post-marked the day it’s dropped off. Leaders say there was never a true guarantee, but now it’s in black and white.
Chatterjee says this update is a big deal for mail with deadlines — like your taxes and mail-in voting ballots.
In DC for example, election officials look for that postmark date. They accept and count a mailed ballot after Election Day as long as it’s postmarked on or before Election Day.
“We have primaries coming up in June. Going to have to be vigilant,” said Chatterjee.
USPS acknowledged the criticism around the policy and mail-in ballots in a statement on the Federal Register, but wrote in part: “…the Postal Service does not administer elections, establish the rules or deadlines that govern elections, or determine whether or how election jurisdictions utilize the mail or incorporate our postmark into their rules.”
USPS noted if people want proof of the date postal workers accepted their mail, they can ask for a postmark, or they can request a Certificate of Mailing.
According to their website, that costs $2.40.
Chatterjee says she’ll spend the months leading up to the primaries making sure people aren’t caught off guard and know they need to ask so no votes are impacted.
“People worked really hard for us to have these rights. We’re not going to let something like messing with post-marks stop us,” said Chatterjee.
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