The coronavirus pandemic has already affected the primary election, and some election officials are considering increasing vote-by-mail options for the upcoming primary and general election. On March 20, 2020, EAC President Ben Hovland moderated a discussion with state and county election officials about factors officials should consider to increase voting by mail. Officials discussed their experiences with voting by mail and their thoughts on timelines, staffing, facilities, vendors, and working with the us. uu. postal service, and other considerations.
- presentation – interview 1: Preliminary planning to increase mail-in/absentee voting capacity – potential response to covid19
- Interview 2: Preliminary Planning for Increasing Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting Capacity: Potential Response to Covid19
- Interview 3: Improving Communications to Increase Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting: Potential Response to Covid19
- Interview 4: Managing the Increase in Absentee and Mail-in Voting at the County Level: Potential Covid19 Response
- Interview 5: Handling Absentee Ballot Requests to Increase Voting by Mail
- interview 6: emergency electoral laws and covid-19
gcc and scc resources
usps resources
note: tell voters to assume a week for usps delivery! this message should be consistently communicated to voters using mail-in ballots.
- military and diplomatic mail (apo/fpo) has not been interrupted. additional guidance can be found on the fvap covid-19 updates page.
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mail service alerts and updates: this page includes current information on important mail service suspensions and outages for election officials as they consider timelines and outreach to national and uocava voters for upcoming elections during the pandemic. Mail service alerts and updates are provided on usps.com® to inform the public and the postal industry when service is suspended or embargoed at Post Office™ facilities for any reason, including natural disasters such as floods or fires and quarantines. information is updated frequently and updates are made in real time.
USPS Coronavirus Statement: This press statement outlines what the Postal Service is doing to reduce health risks to our employees and customers and to safeguard our business and operational continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Election Mail: Provides an overview of election mail, which includes any item mailed to or from authorized election officials that enables citizens to vote, such as voting materials, voter registration cards, ballot applications absentee voting and polling place notifications.
Election Mail Kit: Resources for everything election officials need to prepare, design, and send election mail.
Electoral mail checklist: quick steps and links for election officials related to the electoral mail process.
Electoral Mail Creation: Guidance for election officials on how to create a properly designed mailing.
Service Alerts: Provides information about postal service interruptions due to weather-related and other natural disasters or events.
electionmail.org: resolve mail-in ballot issues directly and immediately with usps
electionmail.org is an ongoing project of Democracy Works. It was initially launched with funding from a 2015 Democracy Funding Network grant in conjunction with the Bipartisan Policy Center. The website is designed to provide election administrators with information on common election mail problems and an easy way to report any problems they encounter.
eac resources
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Preparing for the 2018 Election Cycle: Tips for State and Local Election Officials
Webisode: Making Sure Your Vote-By-Mail Ballots Count (Full Video)
webisode clip (3 minute video)
fvap resources
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summary on sending ballots to uocava voters
tips for preparing election mail and mailing ballots
maintenance of uocava addresses for local election officials
state and local resources
colorado secretary of state
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Vote-By-Mail Plan (Election Policy Manual, Chapter 4: Vote-By-Mail Elections)
Ballot Processing (Election Policy Manual, Chapter 8: Ballot Processing and Voter Intent)
city and county of denver, colorado
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vote by mail life cycle
ohio secretary of state
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electoral office manual (chapter 5, absentee voting)
Send additional best practices and other vote-by-mail resources to [email protected].
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