Rural Letter Carriers Warn Executive Order Could Undermine Vote by Mail and Politicize USPS

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) is raising concerns about a new executive order that would impose federal restrictions on vote by mail and involve the United States Postal Service in responsibilities traditionally handled by state election officials. NRLCA President Don Maston said the order risks politicizing the Postal Service and creating new barriers for rural voters who depend on mail service to access the ballot.

For generations, vote by mail has been administered by state election officials under state law, with the Postal Service serving in its proper role as a trusted, neutral carrier of the nation's mail. That role must not be distorted. USPS should never be utilized to undermine longstanding vote-by-mail practices, nor should it be placed in the unacceptable position of determining voter eligibility.

The Postal Service is not an election enforcement agency. It is not a substitute for state election administrators, and it is not equipped or authorized to decide who is or is not entitled to vote. Any effort to push USPS into that role risks politicizing one of the nation's most trusted public institutions and threatening public confidence in both the mail and the electoral process.

Rural Americans in particular depend on vote by mail and absentee voting. In many parts of the country, especially rural and remote communities, the Postal Service is the essential link between voters and the ballot box. Any policy that creates confusion, delays, or places barriers in the handling of election mail will fall hardest on those voters who already face the greatest obstacles to accessing in-person voting.

In addition, this order would also impose new administrative burdens on an agency that is already under significant financial strain. Forcing the Postal Service to take on new compliance, data-matching, tracking, and enforcement-related responsibilities would add cost and complexity far beyond its core mission of moving the mail.

The NRLCA strongly opposes this broad reaching and very likely illegal Executive Order. The Postal Service must remain focused on its core mission: providing prompt, reliable, and universal service to every American address, including the secure and timely delivery of election mail.

"We urge policymakers to protect the independence and neutrality of the Postal Service, respect the constitutional role of the states in administering elections and ensure that no postal employee is put in the position of adjudicating voter status or eligibility," Maston said.

The Postal Service binds the nation together because the public trusts it to serve every community fairly, impartially, and without political interference. That trust must not be compromised.

About the NRLCA: Established in 1903, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) represents approximately 130,000 career and non-career rural letter carriers operating in more than 10,500 rural and suburban postal delivery units, serving over 85,000 rural routes. www.nrlca.org

CONTACT: Melissa Ray, [email protected], 571-480-2641

SOURCE National Rural Letter Carriers' Association