Your Mail-In Ballot Should Not Disappear into the Mail System

Absentee ballot voting has existed for decades as an accommodation for Americans who could not reasonably vote in person. It began with military members serving away from home and later extended to voters who were legitimately unable to appear at the polls because of disability, travel, or other serious circumstances.

There is a difference, however, between absentee voting for those who need it and a system that treats mass mail-in voting as the default. The former helps eligible voters participate when they cannot appear in person. The latter strains election systems, weakens chain-of-custody, and creates opportunities for ballots to be delayed, misdirected, mishandled, or counted without adequate safeguards.

A ballot sent through the mail should not disappear into a system with inconsistent envelope designs, limited tracking, or no reliable way to reconcile how many ballots were sent and how many were returned.

That is why the United States Postal Service’s proposed rule on ballot mail is a commonsense step forward. It would strengthen standards for mail-in and absentee ballots in federal elections by requiring an official Election Mail logo, automation-compatible envelope design, uniquely serialized Intelligent Mail barcodes, and mail-in and absentee participation lists. In plain English, election mail would be easier to identify, easier to track, and easier to verify.

That matters during election season. USPS processes a large volume of election mail during federal election years, especially in the weeks before Election Day. Postal workers should be able to distinguish ballot mail from ordinary mail quickly and reliably. A clear Election Mail logo and standardized envelope design would help ensure ballots are separated, prioritized, and handled with the seriousness they deserve.

Barcode tracking is just as important. Americans can track packages, prescriptions, and financial transactions. A ballot should not be treated with less accountability. Unique Intelligent Mail barcodes would give election officials better visibility into where ballots are in the process and help voters know if their ballot was delivered.

When ballots are mailed without clear identifiers or consistent tracking, it becomes harder to determine whether a ballot was lost, delayed, misdirected, or returned properly. It also becomes harder to reconcile how many ballots were mailed with how many were returned. That is a basic election administration function, and it is critical for post-election audits.

The proposed rule would help create a clearer record. Participation lists would allow states to retain control over voter eligibility while giving USPS and election officials better tools to manage ballot mail. States would still decide who receives a ballot. USPS would simply have better information to plan, secure, and deliver election mail.

That is not federal overreach. That is responsible administration of the federal mail system.

The Postal Service is not being asked to decide who can vote. It is being asked to apply reliable standards to the handling of ballots that states choose to send through the mail.

As a former Secretary of State, I have administered elections. I know election integrity is not built on slogans. It is built on procedures: secure ballot handling, accurate records, clear deadlines, transparent audits, and public accountability.

The USPS proposed rule strengthens those procedures. It addresses real vulnerabilities while preserving the constitutional role of states in administering elections. It would help reduce processing errors, improve ballot tracking, strengthen chain-of-custody, and give voters greater confidence that their ballots are counted as cast.

Americans should not have to wonder whether their mailed ballot counted. They should not have to accept a system where ballots move through the process without any type of reliable tracking. And they should not be told that basic safeguards are controversial.

They are not.

Election integrity means protecting the lawful voter. It means making sure every eligible citizen can cast a ballot and that every lawful ballot is counted accurately.