USPS Wants States to Send Voter Names and Ballot Barcode Data for Federal Elections

A proposed Postal Service rule would add a new federal data step to Kentucky’s mail-in absentee ballot process before the 2026 general election.

May 30, 2026

The U.S. Post Office in Crittenden, Kentucky. A proposed USPS rule would create a new federal data step for mail-in and absentee ballots in federal elections. Photo by Dwight Burdette, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

The U.S. Postal Service published a proposed rule on May 29 that would require states to submit the names, addresses, and unique barcode information for voters receiving mail-in or absentee ballots in federal general, special, or run-off elections. The proposal would not apply to primary elections or to military and overseas ballots covered by UOCAVA.

For Kentucky, the practical question is direct: would the State Board of Elections, county clerks, or authorized mail vendors need to submit voter-specific absentee ballot data to a new Postal Service portal before ballot mailings are accepted?

The answer, if the rule is finalized as written, appears to be yes. The Postal Service proposal says any state that intends to receive mail-in or absentee ballots from individual voters through USPS must ensure those voters are enrolled with the Postal Service to be included on a state-specific mail-in and absentee participation list.

The new requirement is voter data, not just envelope design

The proposed rule would amend the Domestic Mail Manual, the Postal Service’s mailing standards, for ballot mail in federal elections. The agency says the rule follows President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which directed changes to federal election administration, including mail ballot procedures.

The Postal Service says the proposal would set uniform standards for mail-in and absentee ballot envelopes, including use of the official Election Mail logo, automation compatibility, mailpiece design review, and uniquely serialized Intelligent Mail barcodes on outbound and return ballot envelopes. Those barcodes allow individual pieces of ballot mail to be tracked as they are scanned by Postal Service equipment.

The larger change is the proposed “Mail-In and Absentee Participation List.” Under the proposal, states, election officials, or authorized mail service providers would submit the name and address of each voter receiving a mail-in or absentee ballot, along with the unique barcodes on the outbound and return ballot envelopes.

The Postal Service says it would use that information to review ballot mailings before acceptance and check whether outbound federal ballot mail is being sent to people enrolled on the state’s list. The agency says it would not decide who should or should not appear on a state list, and that states would retain control over who can vote by mail.

That limitation matters, but it does not erase the shift. The proposal would insert a federal mailing-verification step into a process that Kentucky law currently assigns to the State Board of Elections and county clerks.

Kentucky already tracks absentee ballots

Kentucky does not have universal vote-by-mail. Mail-in absentee voting is limited to voters who qualify under Kentucky law.

KRS 117.085 requires that most mail-in absentee ballot requests be submitted through a secure online portal established by the State Board of Elections. The portal verifies personally identifiable information, then transmits the request to the county clerk in the county where the voter is registered.

Kentucky voters may qualify for mail-in absentee ballots for specific reasons, including military or overseas status; temporary residence outside the county; incarceration while charged but not convicted; temporary residence outside Kentucky while remaining eligible to vote here; work or school conflicts; age; disability; or illness. The State Board of Elections says completed applications must be received 14 days before an election.

The county clerk then issues the ballot if the voter has properly applied, is registered, and qualifies. Kentucky law already requires tracking tools. KRS 117.085 says the clerk must complete a postal certificate of mailing for absentee ballots mailed within the 50 states, unless one is not required, and may use methods to track the ballots, such as a printed barcode or other unique label issued by the State Board of Elections.

That means Kentucky already uses voter-specific controls on absentee ballots. The new issue is not whether Kentucky ballots are tracked at all.

The new issue is whether voter names, addresses, and ballot envelope barcode data would be submitted to USPS via a federal ballot mail portal before federal election ballots are accepted for mailing.

The unresolved question is federal access to ballot-mail data

No Kentucky voter’s absentee ballot rules changed today. The USPS proposal is not yet final. Reuters reported that the public has 30 days to comment before the Trump administration can finalize the plan.

No Kentucky election official has been ordered, as of this writing, to change the 2026 general election absentee process immediately. AP reported that U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols declined to block the related executive order for now, but said the challenge was premature because implementation had not yet happened.

The development is still significant because it is now a proposed rule with operational details. The Postal Service has moved from an executive order instruction to a draft regulatory process that specifies what information would be submitted, who would submit it, how the portal would operate, and how USPS employees would verify ballot mailings.

The proposal would also create privacy and implementation questions. The Postal Service says it will take steps to create a new Privacy Act system of records notice, known as a SORN, and that notice is forthcoming. That means the public has not yet seen the full records notice explaining how the voter and barcode data would be stored, accessed, retained, shared, or protected.

County clerks would be on the front line

Kentucky’s absentee process depends on a chain of state and local election administration. The State Board of Elections operates the request portal. County clerks receive requests, determine whether voters qualify, issue absentee ballots, mail ballots, receive returned ballots, and maintain records. County boards of elections carry out local election duties.

The State Board of Elections identifies Secretary of State Michael G. Adams as Kentucky’s chief election official. The board includes the Secretary of State and eight members appointed by the governor from lists supplied by the two major political parties and the Kentucky County Clerks Association.

If USPS finalizes the rule, Kentucky election administrators would need to determine who submits the required data, whether county clerks submit directly or through the State Board of Elections, whether ballot vendors are involved, how barcode data is matched to individual voters, and what happens if a ballot mailing does not pass Postal Service verification.

Those are not minor clerical questions.

A rejected or delayed ballot mailing close to an election can affect older voters, disabled voters, students away from home, temporarily displaced voters, incarcerated voters who have not been convicted, and Kentuckians temporarily outside the state who still remain eligible to vote here.

Kentucky also has strict timing. The State Board of Elections says mail-in absentee applications must be received 14 days before an election. Jefferson County’s elections office says the absentee ballot portal opens 45 days before a primary or general election and closes 14 days before that election.

That leaves limited room for administrative errors. If a new federal portal, barcode standard, vendor process, or mailing verification step slows down ballot issuance, the voters most likely to feel it are the ones who already qualify for mail voting because in-person voting is not practical or available to them.

Share this with someone who votes absentee or follows Kentucky elections.

What you can do now

Submit a public comment on the USPS proposed rule during the 30-day comment period. Focus on implementation, privacy, voter impact, and Kentucky’s statutory deadlines. Ask USPS to explain the error-correction process, the records retention period, the security controls for the portal, and whether local election officials can correct mistakes quickly before ballots are delayed.

Contact the Kentucky State Board of Elections and ask whether Kentucky will submit a formal comment. Ask whether the board has reviewed the proposed rule with county clerks and whether the board believes the rule would require software, vendor, staffing, or printing changes before the 2026 general election.

Contact your county clerk and ask four direct questions: Would this proposal change how your office prepares absentee ballots? Would your office or the State Board of Elections submit voter and barcode data to USPS? Would your office need new software or vendor support? What safeguards would protect voters if a ballot mailing is delayed or rejected?

Ask Secretary of State Michael Adams for a public statement on whether Kentucky election officials believe the proposal is workable under Kentucky law. The public should also ask whether the Secretary of State will oppose any federal rule that delays the counting of lawful absentee ballots.

Track the Privacy Act system-of-records notice when USPS publishes it. That document should answer who can access the data, how long it will be kept, whether law enforcement can use it, and whether voters have any right to inspect or correct information connected to their ballot mailing.

Kentucky voters who expect to use mail-in absentee ballots should check their eligibility early, track the State Board of Elections absentee portal, and contact their county clerk as soon as the request window opens. If the federal rule is finalized, timing will matter even more.

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