AU.S. Postal Service (USPS) panel advanced a proposal that would increase states’ postage cost for mail-in ballots from 20 cents to 55 cents per ballot, according to a report from The Capitol Forum.
States pay the 20-cent marketing mail rate when sending mail-in ballots to voters, but the new proposal advanced by the executive leadership team would reportedly require them to pay the standard first-class mail rate of 55 cents.
Voters already pay the standard first-class mail rate to return their ballots, though 17 states cover the cost for voters.
Sources familiar with the proposal told Capitol Forum there was “no clear rationale” for the policy except to bring in additional revenue for the cash-strapped agency, and states pressed for the lower rates to stay in place during discussions about the proposal.