How to vote by mail without the Postal Service: Yahoo News Explains

If you want to vote early because you’re worried about the health risks of standing in line on Election Day, but you’re also worried that the U.S. Postal Service won’t deliver a mail-in ballot in time to be counted, what should you do? Yahoo News Senior Political Correspondent Jon Ward explains how, once you’ve got your mail-in ballot, you can bypass the USPS when it comes to casting your vote in all but two states.

Video Transcript

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JON WARD: If you want to vote early because you're worried about the health risks of standing in line on Election Day but you're also worried that the US postal service might not deliver your mail-in ballot in time to be counted, what should you do?

First, a little background. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy attempted this week to reassure Americans about the USPS, announcing he's not going to make any more changes before the election that might hamper or slow mail delivery.

But he has come under intense scrutiny for his political donations to President Trump, his announced changes to mail delivery and postal service leadership, and potential conflicts of interest inside the mail and package delivery industry.

In addition, the postal service Board of Governors is stacked with Republican loyalists and is chaired by a longtime Republican political operative, Mike Duncan. Trump himself made comments last week indicating a willingness to starve the Postal Service of funding in order to make it harder to vote by mail.

DONALD TRUMP: Now, if we don't make a deal, that means they don't get the money. That means they can't have universal mail-in voting. They just can't have it.

JON WARD: Trump has since indicated he may sign a COVID-19 relief package that includes funding for the postal service. But the president's comments have prompted both the Senate and House to call DeJoy up to Capitol Hill to explain himself, amid reports that the mail delivery is already slowing in some places, and that the postal service is warning states it will not be able to deliver all mail ballots in time to be counted by the November 3 election.

So again, what can you do? You can request a mail ballot that comes to you through the Postal Service. And if you request it early enough, there shouldn't be a problem receiving it well ahead of Election Day.

And then, most states have options for voting and turning in that ballot that allows you to bypass the Postal Service. You could turn in the ballot in person at county or town offices or at drop box locations in most states.

Now, state-by-state policies on drop boxes are still becoming clear. These are secure drop-off locations that are run by election officials. It's another way to turn in a mail ballot without using the Postal Service. However, there are two exceptions. In Tennessee and Mississippi, mail-in ballots are only handled by the Postal Service.

For more information on your state, we've compiled a state-by-state breakdown of what the law says you can do to turn in a mail-in or absentee ballot, along with the deadline for your state to register to vote, with legal references provided by the Voting Rights Lab.

There's also information about whether you can give your mail ballot to another person and have them deliver it for you. This is how President Trump and First lady Melania Trump voted their ballots in the Florida primary this month.

The law does vary a lot from state to state on this, and there are criminal penalties in some states for running afoul of the law, even unintentionally. So take care to read the legal instructions, which were provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and be clear about what is allowed and what's not.

At Yahoo News, we're going to keep reporting on issues like this in the coming days, weeks, and months to keep you informed.

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