United States Postal Service (USPS) is not Enforcing the Federal Ballot Mail Rule for 2026

September 17, 2026

The USPS is not implementing or enforcing Section 705.24 of the DMM: Ballot Mail for Federal Elections for the 2026 General Election. 

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.

The processes and procedures for this year will be consistent with previous election cycles. 

As always, the Postal Service will continue to engage with state and local election officials and their mail service providers to provide technical assistance and advise on how to implement our best practices as spelled out in Kit 600: the Official Election Mail Guide« Back to News