Our organization does not organize elections and cannot provide legal advice. If you are a voter seeking assistance, please contact your local election official. You can find the website and contact information for your local election official using this us vote foundation database.
This table is part of the ncsl polling away report.
In most cases, it is up to the voter to pay the postage to return an absentee/mail ballot envelope to the election official. some see this as a barrier to returning a ballot or as a type of poll tax. One solution to this potential problem is to make voting drop boxes widely available. in states that hold elections by mail, drop box or in-person return is the most common return method. another option is for election officials to prepay postage for voters to return their ballots.
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., require local election officials to provide return postage for mail-in ballots. This is usually business reply mail, so local officials only pay the return postage for ballots that are actually returned via the US. uu. Postal Service. note: new jersey leaves it to the discretion of county clerks to provide a postage-paid envelope (n.j.s.a. 19:63-12).
it is important to keep in mind that e.uu. The postal service has a policy of prioritizing election mail, especially ballots, and will deliver a ballot envelope even if it does not have enough postage. normally, however, the post office will invoice the local election office for the cost of postage. if most voters do not postage, this could be a significant expense for a local election office.
For military and overseas voters, federal law specifies that ballots may be returned to election officials using a free postage-paid symbol when mailed from a US country. uu. post office, military postal service agency (apo/fpo), or u.s. diplomatic pouch mail. however, if voters return the ballot through a foreign mail system or through a common carrier service (such as fedex, dhl, or ups), they must pay the fee for that service themselves.
The following table provides details and citations for the 18 states and Washington, D.C., that provide postage-paid envelopes to voters.
arizona
california
“the election official shall provide each qualified applicant with all of the following: (2) all supplies necessary for the use and return of the ballot, including a postage-paid identification envelope for the return of the ballot by mail. ”
Note: Counties bear the cost, but since this is a state-mandated program, counties can claim reimbursement for those costs from the state’s general fund.
delaware
district of colombia
dc st § 1-1001.05
(a) provide each unregistered qualified elector in the department of corrections care or custody and endeavor to provide each unregistered qualified elector in the office of prisons care or custody:
(i) a voter registration form and a postage-paid return envelope”
hawaii
idaho
“The clerk shall issue a ballot, by mail, to each registered voter in a precinct by mail and shall place sufficient postage on the return envelope to return the ballot.”
note: this applies to vote-by-mail precincts, which must be designated by the board of county commissioners and have no more than 140 registered voters in the last general election.
indiana
ic 3-11-4-20
iowa
maryland
code md, election law, § 9-310
massachusetts
m.g.l.a. 54 § 25b
minnesota
Missouri
snowfall
new mexico
oregon
o.r.s. § 254.473
rhode island
“once ballots are available, the secretary of state shall immediately issue and mail, by first class mail, postage prepaid, a mail-in ballot to each eligible voter who has been certified. With respect to voters who have requested these mail-in ballots pursuant to the provisions of § 17-20-2(1), the secretary of state shall include with the mail-in ballots a stamped return envelope addressed to the board of elections.”
note: according to this press release, postage is covered by the secretary of state’s budget.
virginia
go code ann. § 24.2-706
washington
west rcwa 29a.40.091
west virginia
wisconsin