A message from the Acting District Manager Scott Hooper…

Making Sure Every Vote Counts

With less than two weeks away before Election Day, November 6, 2018, it’s important to talk about our role in the democratic process. The Postal Service has a long, proud history of service to the nation. We are entrusted with securely delivering ballots to voters and getting those ballots back to election officials as swiftly as possible, to ensure every person’s vote counts.

All employees play a part to in making sure we are vigilant in identifying and properly handling election and political mail, all the way from the Business Mail Entry Units, to the plants, on the docks, in our vehicles, and at the delivery units.  Here are some important reminders:

Red Tag 57, for Political Mail, should be used for any political campaign mailing by a registered candidate, campaign committee, and committee of a political party.

This tag also can be used for a political message mailing by a political action committee (PAC), a super PAC or other organizations engaging in issue advocacy or voter mobilization.

Green Tag 191 should only be used to identify ballot mail addressed for domestic or international delivery.

If you handle mail, follow these tips to ensure Political Mail and Election Mail are properly processed and delivered:

• Use Tag 57 to properly identify, document and process Political Mail using your facility’s Political Mail log.

• Use Tag 191 to identify ballot mail, including sample ballots, and document this mail through your facility’s Election Mail log. All ballot mail is time sensitive and should be processed and delivered within USPS standards for items with paid postage.

• If you encounter Political Mail or Election Mail that isn’t identified with a tag, enter the mail information into the appropriate log and report the problem to your local Election Mail or Political Mail coordinator as soon as possible.

Thank you for keeping our country strong by ensuring both election and political mail are processed as quickly as possible so they can be delivered to America’s voters.