The United States Postal Service is recommending anyone who is voting by mail to get those ballots off by Tuesday, Oct. 27, which is one week before Election Day.

Vote-by-mail deadlines vary by state, whether the deadline applies to when a ballot must be received or when it must be postmarked.

Regardless, the USPS is recommending voters allow one week between when they put their completed ballot in the mail and the respective state’s deadline for receiving it.

Most state deadlines for mail-in ballots fall on Election Day. In some states, ballots must be received by Monday, Nov. 2.

The USPS and Louis DeJoy, who became postmaster general in June, became embroiled in controversy after ordering the dismantling and deactivation of mail-sorting machines, overtime being barred, and carriers and trucks being required to start routes at certain times, regardless of whether the mail was ready.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC