• 94.7% of ballots being delivered from North Carolina voters to local election boards are delivered on time or faster than USPS service standards; average time to deliver a ballot from the voter back to local election boards in North Carolina is 1.2 days.
• Extraordinary measures are underway to accelerate the delivery of Ballot Mail in coming days.

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail. Today, the Postal Service issued the following statistics regarding Election Mail performance in North Carolina:

• 171,262 ballots have been delivered to and from voters in North Carolina since Sept. 1. 
• 94.73% of ballots from voters back to election boards were delivered on time according to the service standard, and on average within 1.21 days
• 99.25% of ballots from voters back election boards were delivered within our recommended 7 days

The postal network is operating effectively in North Carolina with no known issues, with recovery from Hurricane Helene detailed at: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/nc/2024/1031-usps-statement-on-nc-operations-and-hurricane-helene-recovery.htm.

As of Oct. 30, all USPS North Carolina processing facilities and most retail and delivery units have reopened. Where retail and delivery units remain inaccessible, the Postal Service has relocated operations to nearby units and are further deploying mobile retail units to make sure we can provide retail and delivery services to impacted communities as quickly as possible. The Postal Service is in regular contact with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office and local election boards and will continue to do so in the coming days to address any issues as they arise.  Considering the hurricane recovery efforts, the above performance is even more remarkable.  

Extraordinary Measures Underway (starting Oct. 21)

In addition to the processes and procedures specific to Election Mail that the Postal Service deploys all year long, as in previous general elections, the Postal Service is deploying extraordinary measures in the final weeks of the election season to swiftly move Ballot Mail entered close to or on Election Day and/or the state’s return deadline.

Extraordinary measures began on Monday, Oct. 21, and will continue nationwide through Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024) and extend through the last day in each state that Election boards will accept completed mail-in ballots as timely.

The extraordinary measures are designed to accelerate and enhance the delivery of ballot mail, when the Postal Service is able to identify the mailpiece as a ballot.

The Postal Service’s extraordinary measures include but are not limited to:

• Extra deliveries and collections
• Special pick-ups
• Expanded processing facility hours
• Specialized sort plans at processing facilities to expedite delivery to election boards
• Local handling and transportation of ballots

These measures are consistent with our efforts in past elections.

Protecting the Security and Integrity of Election Mail  

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners with the FBI, Department of Justice, CISA, DHS, and the USPS Office of the Inspector General as well as state and local law enforcement, to secure Election Mail.

In the coming days, Postal Inspectors and other Inspection Service personnel will physically observe Election Mail processing and delivery operations. They will review the physical security of Election Mail and the workplace and report their findings to Inspection Service and Postal Service leadership so that corrective action may be taken for any concerns that are identified.

USPIS asks the public to report suspicious mail and Election Mail-related security or criminal incidents:

• Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service National Hotline: 877-876-2455
• Report online: www.USPIS.gov/report 
• Learn more about USPIS and Election Mail security: https://www.uspis.gov/election-mail-security

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