Overall voter turnout for the 2024 general election was 63.7%, which, while not quite as high as the 2020 record turnout of 66.6%, is still an impressive number. For my home state of Minnesota, the turnout was even higher at 76.4%. And while these are fairly substantial numbers, equally impressive is that nearly 100 million of these votes were conducted using ballots delivered through the United States Postal Service.
According to the USPS 2024 Post-Election Analysis Report, 99.22 million ballots were processed, 99.88% were delivered within seven days, and 97.73% were delivered within three days. And these are just the ballot mail. When you also consider that the Postal Service delivered 3.37 billion pieces of political mail as well during 2024, it is no wonder that the USPS appears pleased with its results for this election year.
While election mail is just .72% of the overall 2024 mail volume handled by the USPS from January 1 through November 15, the ecosystem of vote-by-mail arguably has the highest level of scrutiny from the general public and, especially, from Congress. As early as April of 2024, Congress was already calling on the Postmaster General to testify as to whether the USPS would be ready to handle on-time delivery of these important ballots. PMG DeJoy testified that the USPS would and further backed that up during a September CNN interview where he stated the USPS would take “heroic efforts” to deliver all mail-in ballots on time. He urged mailers to put their ballots in the mail at least one week before Election Day on November 5. And that is perhaps the key to any successful vote-by-mail initiative; prepare early!
As early as January of 2024, the USPS and the mailing industry have been educating state and local election officials on the proper way to prepare ballots. This includes special Service Type Identifiers (STIDs) that are embedded into the Intelligent Mail barcode, and visible markings on the envelope as well as special tray tags that clearly indicate the contents are election mail. And while election mail clearly receives special handling without increased postage amounts, which often frustrates many industry mailers, the key again is to start early.
Certain Factors Can Cause Delays , but They Can Be Mitigated
Poorly designed mail pieces are a primary reason why ballot delivery can be delayed. Ballot tracking, which is becoming critical for elections, depends heavily on both a properly designed mail piece and an Intelligent Mail barcode that is uniquely serialized, reflects the proper sortation, a correct delivery point, proper mailer identifier, and has the correct service type identifier. These five pieces of information not only constitute the 31-byte IMb, but they are also a reflection of essential address quality and presorting steps prior to the finalization of the Intelligent Mail barcode.
Unique and serialized IMBs are a vital tool for election officials. It provides a means to monitor the delivery of official ballots while in transit both to the voter as well as on its return, helping to supplement their rigorous chain of custody practices around the mail ballot process. Just as important, it allows them to promptly respond to voter inquiries regarding the status of their ballots during transit. Together, the use of this technology helps improve voter confidence and provides better transparency of the process.
In Congress, the House passed the Vote by Mail Tracking Act on November 18, 2024. The bill was then sent to the Senate on November 19, where it was read twice and then referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Whether it continues into the next Congress and is ultimately signed by President Trump is yet to be known. However, it certainly speaks to the importance of properly preparing election mail-in ballots that are clearly identified and have a properly prepared IMb.
Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond
As the next elections approach, technology companies are further innovating to address emerging challenges in the vote-by-mail ecosystem. This includes investing in advanced ballot preparation tools that adapt to state-specific requirements while ensuring compliance with evolving postal regulations. Advanced data analytics are also being leveraged to provide election officials with real-time insights into mail tracking and voter engagement. Finally, to prepare for the potential impact of the USPS's Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative, mailers are already developing contingency solutions that mitigate delays, especially for rural mail addresses.
During COVID, we saw how important mail is to bind the nation and, in the case of election mail, to ensure our representative democracy continues to work fairly and transparently. As state and local election offices prepare for 2025 and beyond, it will be important for them to start early and educate their constituents on lead time for ensuring their mail-in ballots are counted. It will also be important for the mailing industry to remain engaged with the USPS as the Delivering For America plan transforms the postal delivery network. Together, these efforts will ensure that election mail continues to grow and thrive as a critical component of America’s constitutional republic.
Chris Lien is Executive Vice President of Postal Affairs for BCC Software, a BlueCrest company. He has been active in the mailing industry for 30 years and participates in numerous industry associations including the Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee as a former industry chair. As EVP of Postal Affairs, he is focused on all aspects of the mail supply chain and provides a voice of advocacy on behalf of the thousands of BCC Software and BlueCrest customers. Chris also chairs the Board of Directors of the National Postal Forum.
This article originally appeared in the January/February, 2025 issue of Mailing Systems Technology.
