COLUMBIA, Md. — The U.S. Postal Service says employees must provide a manual postmark when requested for mail being sent that day, after a voter reported being denied one for a ballot at a Columbia post office on Election Day.
The voter told WMAR-2 News that an employee at the post office at 6801 Oak Hall Lane refused to postmark the ballot on the morning of November 3, saying the postmaster had instructed employees not to postmark ballots.
According to the voter, the employee also said she had advised other customers to use Priority Mail to obtain a postmark. The voter said another post office provided the postmark and accepted the ballot.
After WMAR-2 News contacted USPS, spokesperson Mark Lawrence said postal management had addressed the incident.
“The denial of a postmark as described appears to be an isolated incident, and has been addressed by Postal Service management,” Lawrence said.
USPS advises voters who need to ensure their completed ballot receives a postmark reflecting the day they mail it to visit a Postal Service retail location and request a manual postmark at the counter.
“Postal Service policy is that retail employees must provide a manual postmark to customers requesting it for an item that is being mailed that day,” Lawrence said.
If an employee denies the request, USPS says customers should ask to speak to a manager.