Group fears new postmark policy will delay rural NV ballots

The change means mail will now be postmarked once it reaches a regional processing facility, up to a few days after it is dropped off, which could put it past the deadline and cause it to be rejected.

Michael Chameides, communications and policy director for the nonprofit Rural Democracy Initiative, said he thinks the Trump administration is intentionally undermining mail-in voting.

“The administration has had a lot of criticisms about mail-in ballots,” Chameides observed. “What I see is this is part of a larger trend around making it harder to submit mail-in ballots, and then it’s also part of a larger trend of just decreasing services for rural communities.”

He added the Postal Service is also trying to eliminate evening mail pickups from rural post offices, so mail in rural areas will take longer to get a postmark and be delivered. The Postal Service argued the changes are necessary to save money and increase efficiency. People mailing time-sensitive documents are advised to send them a few days earlier or ask for a manual postmark or a certificate of mailing at the local post office.

Chameides noted in 2024, government data showed 104,000 mail-in ballots were rejected nationally because they were past the deadline, a number he believes is going to soar in future elections.

“Our elected officials at the federal level need to step up and insist on a fair post office policy,” Chameides urged. “Ultimately it’s a policy choice. A policy choice that can be reversed.”

In the 2024 presidential election, almost 45% of ballots were cast by mail. In Nevada, ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and must be received at the county election office within four days of the election. The Supreme Court is currently considering a case challenging the practice of accepting ballots received after Election Day.

Related: Rural Nevada constituents backed Trump. His reforms could hit them hardest