USPS postmark changes raise concerns – Times Herald Online

Elections and statutory filing deadlines for Solano County may be affected by changes to how the United States Postal Service determines timely proof of mailing.

An update to the Board of Supervisors from Solano County’s California based lobbying firm Shaw, Yoder, Antwih, Schmelzer and Lange indicated that the changes took effect on Dec. 24, 2025.

“Under the new rule, the official postmark date will be the date of the first automated processing operation at a USPS facility, rather than the date an item is dropped off, a lobby/retail acceptance date, or the stamped date on metered mail or postage labels applied by the sender,” the message reads.

The changes could mean that mail will receive a postmark later than its actual mailing date, particularly under USPS’s new Regional Transportation Organization initiative. Residents can avoid this by requesting a manual postmark at a USPS counter, use a Postage Validation Imprint at the post office to show a date of acceptance, obtain a certificate of mailing or use registered certified mail.

“Counties and other local entities relying on mail-based deadlines may need to adjust procedures or communications to account for potential delays under the new postmark rule.”

A particular hurdle for the new regulations will be election mail, which the Postal Service addressed in an update last month. Concerns from citizens remain that the rule could strain the capacity of election officials to handle mail-in ballots and ensure the integrity of elections. Commenters expressed concerns about suppressed voter turnout and increased disenfranchisement, among other issues.

“The Postal Service does not administer elections, establish the rules or deadlines that govern elections, or determine whether or how elections utilize the mail or incorporate our postmark,” the update reads. “The postal service also does not advocate voting by mail.”

The update further clarifies that the postmark is not a responsibility of the USPS to provide to the public. The postal service recognizes that other entities have infused the postmark with their own meanings, but describes these assertions as “misplaced.”

“As explained in the notice of prepared rule making, the postmark is not a service and the Postal Service does not hold it out to the public as such,” it reads.