Election Officials Are 'Nervous' About 1 Aspect Of Voting By Mail

Voting by mail is safe and effective — but in an extremely tight election, any minor problems could have historic consequences.

The pandemic election in 2020 marked a record-breaking year for the use of mail-in ballots, and voting via the Postal Service is still going strong. Still, some election officials are slightly on edge about this year.

Voting by mail is safe and effective, they emphasize — but amid a halting 10-year Postal Service reorganization plan that has impacted local mail facilities, and frustration over a lack of communication from Postal Service leadership, election officials have a crucial piece of advice for people voting by mail: Send ballots back to election officials as soon as you can.

“Give yourself at least a week” before Election Day to put your ballot in the mail, said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (D), the current president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Some states will still count ballots with on-time postmarks that are received after Election Day — but it’s best not to chance it, especially since Republicans have sued in Mississippi to forbid this practice. The suit could have nationwide implications.

“Don’t delay. Get your ballot, research your ballot, vote it, and send it back in as soon as you can,” agreed Bryan Caskey, Kansas’ election director and the incoming president of the National Association of State Election Directors. “If you want to use the Postal Service, just don’t wait. Get it returned back as soon as you can — I would say [put it in the mail] at least a week prior to Election Day.”

The Postal Service agrees: “Our common-sense voter recommendation remains that domestic voters should mail their completed ballot before Election Day, and at least one week prior to the deadline by which their completed ballot must be received by their local election official,” Martha Johnson, a spokesperson for the Postal Service, told HuffPost in a statement.