Take Action: Tell USPS to Protect Voting by Mail
- Carl Blair
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Deadline
Submit by Thursday, July 2, 2026, 10:59 p.m. CT. The notice requests comments “on or before July 2, 2026.”
What is this?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued a proposed rule that would drastically change how it handles mail-in ballots. This rule would cause widespread voter disenfranchisement across both Texas and the rest of the nation, and would particularly harm communities who frequently rely on voting by mail like college students, the elderly, and disabled voters.
Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), before a federal entity, like the USPS, can implement a proposed rule, they have to provide the public with notice of the contents of the proposed rule and an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule. So this is your chance to voice opposition to this proposed rule.
Why it matters?
Even though Texas already severely limits who can vote by mail, over 380,000 Texans voted by mail in the 2024 Presidential Election. Giving the USPS the unlawful and unprecedented authority to reject sending voters mail-in ballots risks disenfranchising the hundreds of thousands of Texas voters who rely on voting by mail in order to exercise their right to vote.
Context
This March, President Trump issued an executive order that seeks to give the federal government unlawful authority over voting by mail. The Constitution grants Congress and the states the authority to administer elections, not the President, and certainly not the USPS. This proposed rule would implement the President’s unconstitutional executive order by coercing states into compliance by threatening to have the USPS refuse to deliver all mail-in ballots from any state that does not meet the proposed rule’s requirements.
How to Submit Your Comment
Open the official comment page and follow the instructions.
Instructions: “Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to: PCFederalRegister@usps.gov, with a subject line of ‘Ballot Mail.’”
Personalize your comment. Unique stories and concrete examples carry more weight than form letters.
Do not include sensitive personal data you would not want posted publicly. The Federal Register notes that submissions are posted “without change,” including personal information.
Short Sample Comment Introduction (Copy and Personalize)
I am writing to comment on the proposed Ballot Mail for Federal Elections Rule (2026-10968) regarding changes to the Postal Service’s handling of mail-in ballots and use of information from state voters rolls . . .
Key Points You Can Make
Unlawfully Federalizing Elections
The Constitution gives Congress and the states joint authority over regulating elections, not the President. Voting by mail has existed in the United States, in some form, for over 200 years since Pennsylvania first allowed it for soldiers away from home back in 1813. Currently all 50 states allow for some form of voting by mail, and all of those states have administered scores of successful elections utilizing, at least in part, voting by mail. This proposed rule would strip states and election officials of the ability to fully administer voting by mail in their own states and would instead replace their authority with that of the USPS.
The USPS has no Legal Role in Administering Elections
The United States Postal Service is not in the voter registration or election administration business. The legal responsibility of the USPS is to deliver the mail, including mail-in ballots. Yet this proposed rule would give the USPS the authority to refuse to mail any and all mail-in ballots from any state that does not comply with the requirements the rule lays out.
Privacy Concerns
The proposed rule would require the USPS to implement untested systems of data collection and storage on a national scale that fall outside of their areas of expertise on a very short timeline. The rule contains no actual details about how the USPS would securely store or transmit the information it would start collecting and sharing with states, merely stating that the USPS will provide “technical assistance to states and localities regarding the secure submission of this data”.
Election Administration Burdens
This rule would place new and unfunded burdens on already strained election offices around the country just as they are preparing for the 2026 Midterm elections. Requiring election officials to implement entirely new data collection and submission systems on such a short timeline will inevitably lead to an additional strain on their ability to administer elections in their jurisdictions.
Be sure to cite sources of information included in your comment.
Optional Personalization Prompts
If you are an election official or poll worker, describe how implementing these changes would complicate your work on behalf of voters who rely on voting by mail.
If you are a voter who relies on voting by mail, describe concerns about how changes to voting by mail procedures would make it harder for you to vote.
If you work in privacy or cybersecurity, explain the problems a rushed and untested new system of data collection and sharing could cause.
If you are a civil rights advocate or community organizer, connect this to the importance of equal access to the ballot.
FAQs
Is this a proposed rule?
Yes, this is a proposed rule subject to the rulemaking process outlined by the federal Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The APA requires that federal entities that propose a new rule must give the public notice of the contents of the proposed rule and the chance to comment on the proposed rule before it can be implemented: Federal Register
Where do I find the official notice?
The Federal Register notice for the United States Postal Service’s “Ballot Mail for Federal Elections 2026-10968” rule is linked here, with the comment deadline and details on how to submit your comment included: Federal Register
Where can I learn more about this rule’s risks to voters?
See both the Brennan Center’s explainer on the unlawful executive order that directly led to this proposed rule contents and Issue One’s explanation of the very serious problems with the proposed rule for more information.
In addition, if you would like to learn more about the over 200 year history of voting by mail in the United States, last year TCRP hosted a presentation on voting by mail challenges facing active duty service members and United States citizens living abroad that contained a lengthy discussion of that history.
TCRP: Democracy Deep Dive (relevant times: 4:04 to 13:28)
That said, because the topic is politically significant, it's important for readers to also review the official proposed rule and any supporting materials directly, so they can understand both the stated purpose of the proposal and the concerns raised by critics before forming their own opinion free top games. Reading primary sources helps ensure that public comments are informed and based on the actual text of the proposal rather than summaries alone.
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