Postal Service postmark change could leave some Washoe County mail ballots uncounted in the November election

What happened

The Nevada Independent reported that a Postal Service rule finalized last year could keep some mail ballots in northern Nevada from being counted in the Nov. 3 general election. Under the rule, mail is now postmarked when it reaches a processing facility rather than when it is dropped in a mailbox. A ballot left in a mailbox on the afternoon of Election Day may not be postmarked until the next day. That would make it invalid, because mail ballots must carry an Election Day postmark.

According to the outlet, the Postal Service acknowledged in the rule that its changes would make it more common for a postmark date to differ from the date the agency first received a piece of mail. The agency also canceled some afternoon mail collections to cut costs. As a result, mail handed over late in the day may not be postmarked until the following day.

Which areas are affected

61 northern Nevada ZIP codes

In Nevada, the change applies to 61 ZIP codes in the northern half of the state, The Nevada Independent reported. They include much of Reno and Sparks, Carson City, Elko and Winnemucca.

Clark County not on the list

No Clark County ZIP codes are on the list. The Postal Service has said it will not add new ZIP codes before Election Day. Clark County voters can find local deadlines and drop box details in our guide to Clark County mail ballots.

What the June primary showed

Washoe County rejections

According to the Washoe County registrar's office, 1,837 mail ballots were rejected in the June primary because they were postmarked after Election Day. Nearly all of them reached the county within the four days Nevada allows for late-arriving ballots. Because of the late postmarks, they still could not be counted.

The Nevada Independent analyzed the county's final mail ballot data. It found that about 4 percent of the nearly 42,000 ballots Washoe voters returned through the Postal Service, rather than a drop box, were rejected for late postmarks. That made late postmarks the most common reason for rejection, at about 71 percent of all rejected mail ballots. Most of the rest were rejected over signature problems.

Officials point to the postal changes

George Guthrie, a spokesperson for the Washoe County Registrar of Voters, told the outlet that late postmarks rose compared with past elections, likely because of the postal changes. He said the Postal Service now warns that a same-day postmark is not guaranteed. He added that election officials across the state tried to warn voters that leaving a ballot at the post office on Election Day raises the chance it will not be counted.

Statewide, 4,349 mail ballots were rejected for arriving too late in the June primary, according to the Nevada Secretary of State's office. Spokesperson Stacey Sunday said a timely postmark alone is not enough. Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county election offices by Nov. 7.

What Washoe County is asking voters to do

Washoe County has launched a campaign urging voters to return ballots early. In the primary, nearly 13,000 mail ballots, about 20 percent of those cast, arrived on Election Day and delayed the release of results. Turnout is expected to nearly double in the general election, and the county estimates more than 25,000 ballots could arrive on Election Day.

The registrar's office is asking voters to mail ballots or place them in a drop box before 6 p.m. on Oct. 30, the last day of early voting. After that, voters should take ballots directly to the registrar's office or to a drop box at any Election Day vote center. The county has 18 early voting centers and 41 Election Day vote centers, each with a drop box.

Tips for mailing a ballot

The Postal Service no longer counts Sundays in its delivery times, so a ballot mailed on a Saturday may take an extra day to arrive. Voters can hand a ballot to a clerk at a post office counter and ask for a same-day postmark. They can also track their ballots online to confirm they were received and counted. Nevada officials recommend mailing ballots a week ahead, according to the outlet.

What to watch next

• Mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are already going out to voters.
• Washoe County asks voters to mail or drop off ballots before 6 p.m. on Oct. 30, the last day of early voting.
• Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county election offices by Nov. 7 to be counted.
• Washoe County estimates more than 25,000 mail ballots could arrive on Election Day.