Alabama Leads Multi-State Letter in Support of USPS Proposed Rule to Secure Mail-in or Absentee Ballots for Federal Elections

For Immediate Release:
July 6, 2026

For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
William Califf (334) 604-3230

(Montgomery, Ala) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a comment letter last week on behalf of 13 states in support of the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed rule strengthening mailing standards for the transmission of mail-in ballots for federal elections. As argued in the letter, states have full constitutional authority and total control of ballots until they are mailed. Once ballots are transferred to the U.S. Postal Service, that chain of control disappears and becomes vulnerable to be exploited for fraud.

“States are the leaders in regulating elections, and yet despite our best efforts to enact policies to deter and detect fraud, voter fraud continues to be a problem. We appreciate the federal government lending a helping hand to shore up our elections and help states provide Americans with confidence in our system,” Attorney General Marshall said. “Let’s be clear, we run our elections well in Alabama, but this is still happening right here in our state, with multiple documented cases of absentee ballot fraud just in the past year. And while we in Alabama can do all we can to secure our elections, Alabamians deserve to know that national elections held in other states are also secure since they affect us as well.”

Under the proposed rule, the Postal Service would standardize envelope design for mailed ballots and help states use a unique barcode to track ballots, thus significantly reducing the chain-of-custody problem that makes mail-in voting more susceptible to fraud. The rule would also create, for the first time, a standardized, nationwide auditing mechanism for mail-in voting.

The letter concludes: “In short, we support the Service’s proposed rule in full. It addresses real vulnerabilities inherent in mail-in voting, responds to legitimate and widespread public concerns about federal election integrity, and equips states with tools that strengthen their own oversight capabilities without displacing their authority. We urge the Service to promptly finalize the rule.”

The Alabama-led comment letter was joined by the attorneys general from Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.

The letter can be viewed here.

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