Political Mail and Election Mail

The Postal Service wants employees to remember the differences between Political Mail and Election Mail tags during this year’s election season.

Red Tag 57, for Political Mail, should be used for any political campaign mailing by a registered candidate, campaign committee, and committee of a political party.

This tag also can be used for a political message mailing by a political action committee (PAC), a super PAC or other organizations engaging in issue advocacy or voter mobilization.

Green Tab 191 should only be used to identify ballot mail addressed for domestic or international delivery.

If you handle mail, follow these tips to ensure Political Mail and Election Mail are properly processed and delivered:

• Use Tag 57 to properly identify, document and process Political Mail using your facility’s Political Mail log.

• Use Tag 191 to identify ballot mail, including sample ballots, and document this mail through your facility’s Election Mail log. All ballot mail is time sensitive and should be processed and delivered within USPS standards for items with paid postage.

• If you encounter Political Mail or Election Mail that isn’t identified with a tag, enter the mail information into the appropriate log and report the problem to your local Election Mail or Political Mail coordinator as soon as possible.