From the Federal Register: The Postal Service is proposing to amend the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), regarding the transmission of mail-in or absentee ballots for federal elections pursuant to its rulemaking authority.
Click for complete USPS Proposed Regulation
Comments must be received on or before July 2, 2026. Mail or deliver written comments to Director, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: PCFederalRegister@usps.gov, with a subject line of “Ballot Mail.” Faxed comments will not be accepted.
The Postal Service is proposing to add a section to DMM 705, Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems, that contains the following preparation conditions when mailing ballots for general, special, or run-off federal elections, except that these conditions do not apply to ballots covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq.):
Envelope Design and Review Standards
DMM 705.24.3 would identify new standards for the envelope design and review for outbound and return ballot
envelopes, which are consistent with the Postal Service’s existing recommended best practices. These standards include the use of the official Election Mail logo, automation compatibility, placement of a uniquely serialized Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) on each outbound and return ballot envelope, and a mailpiece design review.
The mail preparation standards improve the visibility of ballots in the mailstream and are consistent with the Postal Service’s current ballot mail preparation recommendations as provided in DMM 703.8.4. The Postal Service currently has resources available to assist with compliance with these standards, which it will continue to make available. An example of a resource currently provided to election officials regarding mailpiece preparation is the “2026-2027 Official Election Mail Guide (Kit 600)”, which is available here.
The Election Mail Logo is an important tool for mailpiece visibility. It allows voters to recognize Election Mail as important and distinct from other mailings, and also serves to identify official Election Mail for Postal Service employees and distinguishes it from the millions of other mailpieces that are processed daily. Certain long-standing Postal Service practices—including the use of Extraordinary Measures during the period of time before elections that are designed to return ballots from voters to election officials faster than the ordinary mail processes would permit—require the Postal Service to be able to visually identify ballots, which the Election Mail Logo facilitates. Incorporating this logo will thus further facilitate the identification of such ballots.
Ensuring ballot mail is “automation compatible” and meets mailpiece design standards means that ballot mail can be processed effectively on the Postal Service’s mail processing equipment without unexpected complications or delays in operations, and that the relevant barcodes can be scanned as the piece moves through the mailstream.
Uniquely serialized IMbs facilitate the tracking of individual pieces of Ballot Mail to and from individual voters as the barcodes are scanned on the Postal Service’s mail processing equipment. The barcode simplifies data by consolidating information for multiple Postal Service identifiers into one comprehensive location.
Pre-Election Notification of Intent To Use Postal System for Ballot Delivery
DMM 705.24.2 would provide for an optional pre-mailing notice that states may provide to the Postal Service, and facilitate the process for states to enroll individuals with the Postal Service for inclusion on state-specific lists for mail-in and absentee ballot participation.
This provision would allow states to notify the Postal Service of their intent to use the mail to facilitate their election processes. By disclosing relevant points of contact, it will allow the Postal Service to more expeditiously provide technical and other assistance in advance of the election. It will also facilitate the adoption of the new elements of ballot mailing that are proposed in this regulation.
Mail-In and Absentee Participation List
DMM 705.24.4 would establish a process by which (1) states (including authorized election officials and their mail service providers) will notify the Postal Service of the individuals to whom they are mailing a mail-in or absentee ballot, along with the unique barcode applied to the outbound and return ballot mail envelope for such individuals such that the name and barcode of the voter will be included on a Mail-In and Absentee Participation List; (2) states (including authorized election officials and their mail service providers) may thereafter add to or modify the list of enrollees until the last day that ballots may be mailed out to individuals under state law; and (3) the Postal Service will provide to each state’s chief election official a final State-Specific Mail-In and Absentee Participation List for each state compiling the names of all enrolled individuals in such state, along with the barcodes associated with such individuals’ mail-in or absentee ballots.
This provision will help determine adherence to federal law and facilitate law enforcement efforts. For example, the provided lists will evidence how many ballots have been mailed, and allow law enforcement officials to compare the total number of mailed ballots to the total number of received ballots to detect potential issues meriting further investigation. This is accomplished by ensuring that individuals who receive a mail-in or absentee ballot are included on the State-Specific Participation Lists. It is further accomplished by associating the specific barcodes on the ballot envelopes with the intended recipients of ballot mail. As noted above, these barcodes provide visibility into ballot mail transmission based on scan data that is generated as the ballots move through the mail.
Under this proposal, states would retain full control over who would (or would not) be able to vote by mail in federal elections within each state, as states would control enrollment with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List. States would provide the Postal Service with this information via the Federal Ballot Mail Portal. Once a state has completed its ballot mailings, the Postal Service would compile the information provided by that state and then provide the compiled list to the state as that state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List. The Postal Service would not change the information provided by the state when compiling the lists. As noted below, the Postal Service would provide technical assistance to states and localities regarding the secure submission of this data.
Ensuring Compliance With New Standards
DMM 705.24.5 would establish a verification standard to support transmission of compliant mail-in or absentee ballots.
The proposed rule also implements a verification procedure for compliance with the proposed standards prior to acceptance by the Postal Service of the outbound ballot mailpiece and the blank return ballots included within such mailings. The verification process by the Postal Service would confirm that a state submitted a list consistent with the conditions laid out in the proposed rule, and that the outbound ballot mail, and thus the blank ballot that could be returned by mail, is destined to individuals on the list, by checking the barcodes. The Postal Service would not verify whether individuals should or should not be included on a State’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List. States will retain full control over the content of that list.
The Postal Service is not proposing to apply these standards to primary elections or to UOCAVA ballots. Primary elections largely involve political parties selecting nominees through their chosen procedures, rather than direct election of federal officials, and thus implicate different considerations that bear on the necessity for these provisions. Moreover, UOCAVA is a separate federal statutory scheme with its own requirements, including different timing constraints and deadlines. The Postal Service welcomes comments on these issues, however.
As required under existing postal regulations, mailers must comply with all applicable postal laws and regulations governing mailability and preparation for mailing, as well as nonpostal laws and regulations on the possession, treatment, transmission, or transfer of particular matter. Coinciding with publication of any final rule, to facilitate compliance by officials mailing ballots to voters, the Postal Service intends to provide further technical instructions regarding barcode creation, service type identifiers, acceptance processes, file preparation, documentation submission, and entry of data into the proposed portal.