A seemingly minor change could have huge ripple effects for rural and military voters
Published
January 12, 2026 6:30AM (EST)
(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Hannah Beier / Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto )
A relatively minor change at the U.S. Postal Service could have big impacts on future elections. In total, there are 14 states that allow mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted, so long as those ballots are postmarked by Election Day. Some of these states also conduct elections entirely or predominantly by mail, specifically California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.
