Extended hours, special pickups and expedited handling are planned ahead of the November 3 election.
The U.S. Postal Service is preparing additional measures to help ballots reach election officials before applicable deadlines.
Some post offices may extend retail hours beginning October 4. The plan also allows additional deliveries, special pickups and dedicated ballot-postmark service where needed.
Starting October 24 and continuing through Election Day, carriers must check every delivery point for outgoing mail, even when they have no incoming mail to deliver there.
USPS may also use its Priority Mail Express network to move completed ballots that otherwise could arrive too late, according to an agency memorandum reported by Reuters.
The agency’s extra measures do not change state voting deadlines or guarantee that a ballot mailed at the last minute will be counted.
USPS generally recommends mailing a completed ballot at least one week before the deadline by which an election office must receive it. Voters should consult their local election office for the rules that apply to them.
The Postal Service delivered approximately 99.2 million ballots to and from voters during the 2024 election.
