USPS policy lowers standards and delays postmark dates
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues in calling on the Postmaster General to immediately reverse course on a decision to worsen service and delay postmarking items. By not postmarking an item on the day it is dropped off at the post office, the Postal Service puts Americans at risk of mail-in ballots being rejected, tax filings being considered late, and incurring late fees on bill payments. In a letter to USPS Postmaster General David Steiner, the Senators raised the alarm on recent moves to consolidate USPS mail processing and downgrade service and the resulting impact on American families and businesses.
“Wisconsinites, especially in our rural communities, rely on the U.S. Postal Service to cast their ballots, pay their bills, get their medications, and file their taxes. But after years of lagging performance at higher and higher costs, the USPS is now lowering their standards even further and jeopardizing Americans’ access to mail-in voting and families’ finances in the process,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Postal Service must immediately reverse course on their decision to delay postmarks, stop cutting corners, and instead start working on a plan that improves service and lowers costs for Americans.”
On December 24, 2025, USPS added a new section to its Domestic Mail Manual, stating “the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece.” Instead of meeting Americans’ expectations that their mail will be postmarked the day it is dropped off, USPS is lowering their standards with mail being postmarked on the date when it reaches a regional processing center, which is likely to be significantly further away from their community due to recent USPS consolidations. Given the majority of states determine when a mail-in ballot can be counted using the postmark date, the Senators write that election officials are already concerned and warning that this change could ultimately lead to higher rejections of mailed ballots. In addition to impacts on mail-in ballots, delayed postmarks could result in late fees, missed legal document submissions, application denials, overdue notices, and increased costs for the American people.
In their letter, the Senators point out that delayed postmarks are a direct result of USPS’s disastrous “Delivering for America” plan, which has forced consolidation, worsened service, and raised prices, affecting how often mail is processed and vital services like prescription deliveries, bill payments, and other essential communications. The Postal Service’s “Delivering for America” plan included the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) initiative, which eliminated twice daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers that increased the time between mail being collected or dropped off and when mail receives a postmark. The Senators called on USPS to immediately reverse course on this plan.
This letter was led by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and co-signed by over a dozen Senators.
Full text of this letter is available here and below.
Dear Postmaster General Steiner,
We write in strong opposition to the USPS’ decision to codify its decision to abandon the goal of timely postmarks by downgrading mail processing services. We urge you to immediately reverse the underlying mail processing changes which contribute significantly to new postmark delays, including the policy described in the new USPS Postmarks and Postal Possession Final Rule. Moving away from postmarking mailpieces on the date they are received into the postal system presents significant negative consequences for millions of Americans conducting commercial transactions, government functions, which alarmingly includes voting.
On December 24, 2025, the Postal Service added a new section to its Domestic Mail Manual, formally stating “the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece.” This means that many voters and other users of the Postal Service could no longer receive a postmark the day they cast their ballot or drop off their tax forms in the mail. Instead, they will receive a postmark date when their mail reaches a regional processing center, which is likely to be significantly further away from their community due to recent USPS consolidations.
This misguided decision to delay postmarks has potentially harmful implications for our election system, and vote-by-mail. Many states determine whether a mail-in ballot can be counted using the postmark date. Election officials are already concerned and warning that this change could ultimately lead to higher mailed ballots being rejected.
Postmarks delays are especially problematic in states that vote entirely or largely by mail. Rural areas across the country will be especially impacted as experts estimate at least a one-day delay in postmark and mail delivery in rural areas. In theory, a rural voter could submit their ballot in time according to their state law, but due to the changes you are implementing, their legally-cast ballot would not be counted as it sits in a local post office. As we enter a year with many local and federal elections, the risk of disrupting this vital democratic process demands your attention and action.
We should be working to make voting easier for eligible voters, not harder. These changes will only increase the likelihood of voter disenfranchisement. While voters can request a manual postmark at a post office, this is unrealistic for millions of voters who vote by mail and will only serve to discourage mail voting. Inevitably, many voters will not learn about the changes to their postal service until it is too late, creating uncertainty about whether their vote will be able to count.
Postmarks that do not match the date a mailpiece is first received by the USPS are often the direct result of eliminating twice daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers under the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan. Now, many mailpieces received after the first and only transfer truck leaves will sit overnight until the next daily transfer. This service downgrade should be reversed.
Delayed postmarks further pressure a mail delivery system struggling under the weight of ill- conceived cost-cutting measures. In recent years, mail processing facility closures and consolidations implemented under the disastrous “Delivering for America” plan have caused delays in mail delivery, affecting vital services like prescription deliveries, bill payments, and other essential communications. Seniors, rural residents, and small business owners have been particularly impacted by downgraded postal services. In addition to election and tax implications, delayed postmarks will result in late fees, missed legal document submissions, application denials, overdue notices, and increased costs for the American people.
In addition to restoring timely postmarks and ensuring voters aren’t negatively impacted, we urge the Postal Service to promptly engage cooperatively with union representatives to fully stand up the Postal Election Mail Task Force. Early engagement between management and postal workers will help ensure all necessary extraordinary measures are well understood and ready for implementation as election mail comes in for processing.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing your plans to address these concerns and request a response no later than 14 days from today.
An online version of this release is available here.
