Whether postage will be required for absentee ballots and who pays for it has become a subject of lawsuits and statehouse political brawls. By jcarrsmyth.
Mike Babinski opens applications for voter ballots at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Cleveland. As more states embrace mail-in balloting, an often overlooked detail has emerged as a partisan dividing line: postage. Questions over whether postage will be required for absentee ballot applications and ballots themselves, who pays for it and what happen to envelopes without stamps are the subject of lawsuits and Statehouse political brawls.
Lawsuits filed in Florida by the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, in Georgia by Black Voters Matter and elsewhere argue that stamps constitute a monetary requirement akin to an illegal poll tax. Voting-rights groups say stamp requirements are another impediment that hits lower-income and minority communities hardest.
Opponents of the proposal by Secretary of State Frank LaRose argue that pre-paying postage could lead to more mail-in ballots being requested than used. Voters who requested a mail-in ballot but for whatever reason — choose to vote in person on Election Day will have to cast a provisional ballot so local election boards can be sure they did not vote twice. About 20% of provisional ballots are typically rejected.
The postage debate has extended this year to include young voters, who have little experience sending and receiving paper mail and visiting post offices. As part of its lawsuit, the Georgia ACLU submitted statements from young voters who had never used a stamp.Election boards are required by federal postal regulations to include in a voter’s packet exactly how much postage is required to return their ballot.
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