When the nation goes to the polls, the OIG goes to work making sure the Postal Service can successfully deliver Election Mail and Political Mail for the American people. Election Mail includes any items sent to or from election officials such as ballot applications, voter registration cards, and, of course, ballots. Materials sent by candidates or other groups for political campaign purposes are considered Political Mail.

Our election work is a regular feature of our focus areas and has multiple parts.

First, before each general election every two years, we audit the Postal Service’s readiness to process and deliver this mail on time. Part of this work includes seeing how USPS performs during the primaries. We’ve already started our readiness audit of the Postal Service for the 2024 general election. We expect this work to be released this summer, so the Postal Service has time to make changes in response to any recommendations before November. You can find out more on our Upcoming Audit Work page.

Next, we assess how the Postal Service performs in the months leading up to and through Election Day. For the midterm election in November 2022, we made nearly 900 unannounced visits to processing plants and delivery units to make sure the Postal Service was handling Election Mail according to its rules. Our report on service performance during the 2022 election was issued last March. You can read our findings here. Sometimes we tackle other Election Mail issues, such as how the Postal Service processes International Election Mail, including ballots from members of the military and other Americans living abroad.

Finally, our investigators are always prepared to examine any complaints of illegal or improper activities by postal employees during elections.

You can find out more about the OIG’s election work on our Election & Political Mail page. The Postal Service has a critical role supporting America’s elections, and our goal is to help ensure USPS carries out that role effectively and with integrity.