Washoe County rejected 1,837 mail ballots for late postmarks in June as a Postal Service change shifts when mail is dated

What happened

A Postal Service rule finalized last year changed when mail gets its postmark, and it is already affecting ballots in Nevada, The Nevada Independent reported. Mail is now postmarked when it reaches a processing facility rather than when it is dropped in a mailbox. A ballot mailed on Election Day evening could be dated the next day and be ruled ineligible.

In Washoe County's June primary, 1,837 mail ballots were rejected because they were postmarked after Election Day, according to the county registrar's office. Nearly all of them reached the county within the four days Nevada allows for late-arriving ballots, but the late postmarks kept them from being counted. Mail ballots are now going out for the Nov. 3 general election.

How the postal changes work

Postmarks applied at processing facilities

In its rule, the Postal Service acknowledged the change would make it "more common" for a postmark date not to match the date the agency first received a piece of mail. The agency now advises that a same-day postmark is not guaranteed. It also no longer counts Sundays in its delivery times, so a ballot mailed on a Saturday may take an extra day to arrive.

Fewer evening pickups in northern Nevada

As part of a cost-cutting effort, the Postal Service has stopped some evening mail pickups, so mail dropped off late in the day may not be postmarked until the next day. In Nevada, that change covers 61 ZIP codes across the northern half of the state, including much of Reno and Sparks, Carson City, Elko and Winnemucca, according to a Postal Service filing with federal regulators. No Clark County ZIP codes are on the list, and the Postal Service has said none will be added before Election Day.

What the primary numbers show

Washoe County

A Nevada Independent analysis of the county's final mail ballot data found about 4 percent of the roughly 42,000 ballots Washoe voters returned through the Postal Service were rejected for late postmarks. That made late postmarks the most common reason for rejection, about 71 percent of all rejections, with signature problems making up most of the rest. George Guthrie, a spokesperson for the Washoe County Registrar of Voters, said the number was an increase from past elections and likely tied to the Postal Service changes.

Statewide and national figures

Statewide, 4,349 mail ballots were rejected for arriving too late in the June primary, according to the Nevada Secretary of State's office. Democracy Docket found that in six states with detailed 2026 primary data, about 64 percent of rejected mail ballots were thrown out for arriving late. Federal data shows late ballots made up 17.8 percent of rejections nationally in the 2024 general election and 23.1 percent in 2022.

Deadlines and returning a ballot early

"A timely postmark alone is not enough," Secretary of State spokesperson Stacey Sunday said in an email, according to The Nevada Independent. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county election offices by Nov. 7 to count. More coverage of this year's races is in our elections section.

Washoe County is urging voters to mail ballots or use a drop box by 6 p.m. Oct. 30, the last day of early voting. After that, voters should return ballots to the registrar's office or a drop box at any Election Day vote center. The county has 18 vote centers for early voting and 41 on Election Day, each with a drop box.

Voters who mail a ballot can hand it to a clerk at a post office counter and ask for a same-day postmark. Voters can also track their ballot online to confirm it was received and counted.

What to watch next

• Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county election offices by Nov. 7 to count.
• Washoe County asks voters to mail ballots or use a drop box by 6 p.m. Oct. 30, the last day of early voting.
• Washoe County estimates more than 25,000 ballots could arrive on Election Day, with turnout expected to roughly double from the primary.
• The Postal Service has said no new ZIP codes will be added to the evening pickup cuts before Election Day.