WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service will begin additional ballot collection, processing and delivery measures Oct. 24 as it prepares for the 2026 general election, urging voters to allow at least a week for completed ballots to reach election offices.
The measures will include extra deliveries and collections, special pickups, specialized sorting at processing facilities and localized ballot handling and transportation. They will continue through each state’s final deadline for accepting mail ballots.
Postal officials said the procedures are consistent with those used in previous elections.
“Our Postal Service employees are diligently working to process and deliver ballots on time, and we ask that voters do their part and mail early,” said Adrienne Marshall, director of Election and Government Mail Services.
USPS recommends that domestic nonmilitary voters mail completed ballots before Election Day and at least one week before their election office’s receipt deadline. Voters should check the requirements that apply in their jurisdiction.
Through Oct. 9, USPS reported that 97.98% of ballot mail was delivered on time against its service standards. That figure measures postal delivery performance, rather than whether ballots met individual election offices’ deadlines.
For the 2024 general election, USPS said it delivered 99.6% of ballots sent by voters to election officials within three days.
“The Postal Service is confident and ready to deliver a successful Election Mail season,” Postmaster General David Steiner said.
Postal officials also advised voters to account for potential differences between the date a ballot is mailed and the date it receives a postmark.
Although USPS said its postmarking practices have not changed, transportation adjustments mean some mail does not reach an originating processing facility the same day it is collected. Postmarks generally are applied at those facilities.
Voters seeking a postmark matching their mailing date can take their completed ballot-return envelope to a USPS retail counter and request a free manual postmark.
USPS said it continues to work with state and local election administrators on ballot-envelope design, tracking tools, mailing practices and delivery concerns. The agency said it is not implementing or enforcing the Ballot Mail for Federal Elections rule for the 2026 general election.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will monitor ballot processing and delivery operations and review physical security. It also coordinates with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to address threats involving election mail and election offices.
Suspected election-mail crimes or suspicious mail can be reported to the Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.