If you get a USPS ‘request a ballot’ postcard this weekend, here’s what you should know
Pierce County residents can expect a postcard from the U.S. Postal Service this weekend that might be confusing.
The postcard, which is part of a national campaign by USPS, encourages voters to request their mail-in ballots at least 15 days prior to election day on Nov. 3.
This does not apply to Washington state, said Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson.
In Washington State, which has been a vote-by-mail state since 2011, voters do not need to call to request their ballots. If they are registered to vote, one will automatically be sent to them.
Anderson said the Pierce County Auditor’s Office received no advance notice from USPS that the postcards would be sent out and worries that they will confuse people.
What people should do, Anderson said, is check their registration status online at votewa.gov. If they are registered to vote and have the correct address listed, they will receive a ballot. Ballots are mailed out 18 days prior to election day.
If voters will not be able to access their mail during the 18-day voting period, need to receive their ballot at a different address, or need to access their ballot electronically, they should contact their County Elections Office.
Anderson said the postcards also went out in Oregon, another vote-by-mail state.
The postcards should arrive in Pierce County mailboxes this weekend.
USPS drew the national spotlight last month after concern that funding cuts would impact vote-by-mail. The changes prompted a lawsuit from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and other states.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "If you get a USPS ‘request a ballot’ postcard this weekend, here’s what you should know."
