Election officials urge ballot boxes over USPS as new policies could delay deliveries

Washington’s top election officials are urging residents to return their ballots early and to use drop boxes instead of mail-in voting, as new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) standards could delay postmarks and deliveries.

King County Elections spokesperson Haley Watkins said some counties started noticing — for the first time — problems during the August primary, when ballots weren’t always marked the same day carriers picked them up. The new USPS rules clarify that postmarks may no longer reflect the day mail was first collected.

“I know several other counties did see a big, big jump in how many ballots were returned too late because they didn’t get that postmark,” Watkins said. “You are not guaranteed a postmark on the same day that you drop your ballot in the mail.”

Secretary of State urges residents not to use mail-in voting

In a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said voters should “consider using a drop box, going to a voting center, or physically visiting a post office within seven days of the Nov. 4 general election,” adding that his office can’t guarantee ballots mailed later will be postmarked in time.

The Postal Service has issued similar guidance, recommending voters mail ballots by October 29 to ensure on-time delivery. The agency has also stopped counting Saturdays as transit days, reduced afternoon pickups, and slowed some first-class mail delivery standards. Most of those issues, they say, could impact more rural areas.

The new standards come as USPS faces significant financial challenges, with a projected net loss of $6.9 billion for fiscal year 2025. While they’re not necessarily new standards, when it comes to mail-in ballots, fewer postmarks and votes not being counted are new to many election officials across the state.

“You need to make sure that you’re getting your ballot postmarkeFd if you’re going to utilize the mail,” Pierce County elections spokesperson Kyle Haugh said. “You can’t just rely on putting it in the box in front of your home.”

The Washington Secretary of State has provided voters with a map that includes statewide locations of ballot drop boxes and voting centers for the current election.

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