Misleading: If you mail your ballot on Election Day, it will be postmarked Election Day.

“If you mail your ballot on Election Day, it will be postmarked Election Day.”

The facts: Not anymore. The Postal Service said in December 2025 that a postmark does not necessarily show the first day it had your mail. Postmarks are now applied at regional processing hubs, not the counter. In the 14 states and D.C. that count ballots postmarked by Election Day, a late postmark can get an on-time ballot rejected. In this year's primaries, Oregon rejected 7,314 ballots for late postmarks and Washington rejected 20,267. Mail your ballot at least a week early, ask the post office counter for a free manual postmark, or use an official drop box.