If Your Mail-In or Absentee Ballot is in the Mail, Here’s How to Track It.  If it’s Not, Hand Delivery to Your Election Office or Drop Box is a Safer Bet. 

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 31, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Time has run out for mailing a mail-in or absentee ballot, but if it’s already mailed, there are tools for tracking its status.  If it hasn’t been mailed, officials advise delivering it to an election office or official ballot drop box instead.

Internal U.S. Postal Service rules require postal employees to expedite official ballot mail.  Since 2020 though, consolidation of sorting centers has delayed first class mail, particularly in rural areas, and hurricane damage has posed other delivery challenges. 

In Georgia, where a record 3.2 million citizens voted early in person or by mail, election officials now advise absentee or mail ballots be brought to the local election office.   Georgia’s restrictive election law won’t count your ballot after election day, even if it’s properly postmarked.

Eighteen states allow ballots postmarked by election day to be counted after election day.  But the Kansas Secretary of State recently complained to the USPS that in the state’s primary, over 1,000 ballots were delivered without a postmark, and couldn’t be counted under Kansas law.

Five states, Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, North Dakota and Vermont, require hand-delivered ballots BEFORE election day, though some of those states allow delivery to the precinct before close or election day. 

Find links to Vote.org’s resources on state deadlines and ballot tracking tools at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
U.S. Postal Service – U.S. Postal Service is Ready to Deliver the Nation’s Election Mail
U.S. Postal Service – Explainer on How the USPS Handles Election Mail
Vote.org – Track Your Ballot or Ballot Application
National Conference of State Legislatures – Receipt and Postmark Deadlines for Absentee/Mail Ballots
Movement Advancement Project – Map of States with Ballot Tracking
U.S. Vote Foundation – Where’s my Ballot? Check your State’s Ballot Tracker.

Fox 5 Atlanta – Georgians urged to drop off mail-in ballots as early voting continues breaking records
Associated Press – Kansas Secretary of State sends letter with concerns over mailed ballots
Spotlight PA – Elections 101: Why some Pa. counties have mail ballot drop boxes and others don’t

Check Your Voter Registration:

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #MailBallots #DropBoxes #USPS