CHICAGO, September 21, 2026 – College student Sanya Singhal showed up early to the polling place in her town long before the doors opened. She didn’t take any chances. With queues forming outside municipal buildings in Virginia, Minnesota, and South Dakota, her early turnout marked the start of in-person early voting ahead of the midterm elections—a six-week sprint that’ll decide which party controls Congress.
Polling stations in towns large and small are prepping for massive crowds as voters pour in.
It’s not just to circumvent the long queues on Election Day. The surge is fueled by a mix of voter anxieties—from economic woes to divisive political rhetoric—and fresh hurdles with voting by mail. Whereas the process of voting in person is still relatively reassuringly familiar to most citizens, the logistics of voting by mail is a cause for concern for local officials.
Despite all the talk about voting security at the national level, election officials at the local level claim that the basic procedure is perfectly safe. However, recent changes in the operations of the US Postal Service have made the timing equation for mail-in voters different. In terms of regional processing, mail may get the postmark after some time delay, which might create problems for those who submit ballots at the last minute.
There is no need to take any risks. County Clerks such as John Ackerman advise those using mail-in ballots to postmark and send their ballots at least one week before election day to be sure of getting their ballots. For even more safety, people can visit the post office and ask for a manual postmark on their ballots. Another alternative way would be to avoid the mailing process altogether and deliver the signed envelopes directly to the county drop boxes or the election clerks’ offices.
Voting rights advocates echo that sentiment. Hannah Fried, CEO of All Voting Is Local, noted that casting a ballot early “gives voters options, eases lines on Election Day and can even mean faster results”.
The advice of the local election offices around the nation is clear—do not get caught off guard by the changes in postal services. No matter if you decide to vote in person during early voting or cast a ballot by mail, it is important that you plan.
