Post Offices
NOTICE
Political Campaign Mail Season Is Winding Down
The Postal ServiceTM is responsible for providing information to assist in the knowledgeable preparation and deposit
of political campaign mailings, as well as for the proper acceptance, processing, delivery, and recording of these mailings. In addition to this article, see "POM Revision: Political
Campaign Mail Processing Procedures," in Postal Bulletin
22186 (8-3-06, pages 17-21).
The American electorate votes on numerous political
offices and issues each year. This year includes elections
for one-third of the U.S. Senate and all members of the
House of Representatives. In addition, there are also state,
county, and local offices and referenda measures. The general election is Tuesday, November 7. This can be a hectic
time for political candidates, campaign committees, and
committees of political parties.
Mailings are created by individual candidates, their campaign organizations, and local, state, and national committees of political parties. Campaign organizations planning
to prepare their own mailings using volunteers need to
determine if their campaign workers and volunteers have
recent mail preparation experience. Local Post OfficesTM
need to be ready to answer any questions and provide
assistance.
Mailing Assistance
Committees of political parties, candidates, and the candidates' campaign organizations will be contacting Post
Office(s) where they hold mailing permits, or plan to apply
for a mailing permit, to obtain information on mail preparation standards, procedures, and each Post Office's hours
(and days) of business mail acceptance. Verify the status of
mailing permits and nonprofit authorizations, if applicable,
as well as information on eligible rates. Provide mailers with
current First-Class Mail and Standard Mail rates and
direct them to Postal Explorer at http://pe.usps.com, and
have them click Ratefold (Notice 123).
When asked, Post Offices can review proper preparation, makeup, and handling of mailings; explain the use,
and associated costs, of ancillary service endorsements;
and advise of any restrictions as to what may and may not
be mailed as Standard Mail and what may be mailed at
Nonprofit Standard Mail rates (see Nonprofit Standard Mail
Eligibility and Rates, pages 14-15).
Mail Service Providers
Political campaign workers and staff may be unfamiliar
with current mailing standards and how the Postal Service
processes and delivers the mail, resulting in unrealistic
plans. Getting the assistance of a mailing professional
(e.g., letter shop, presort bureau, etc.) before printing (and
making commitments) may provide insights about preferred mailpiece designs and characteristics, optimum
addressing and automation features, and ideal mailing
schedules to enable timely delivery.
Letter shops and presort bureaus specialize in preparing
mailings for customers. Some of these businesses can take
care of the entire mail preparation process, from printing to
entering the mailings. These businesses can be found by
doing a Web search or by checking the local phone book
under "letter shops," "mailing services," or "printing." Mail
service providers assist with the following:
• Obtaining an address list.
• Designing and printing mailpieces.
• Sorting mailpieces.
• Possibly reducing postage.
• Entering mailings.
Additional Reminders for Political Mailers
Discount mailings are subject to specific volume, marking, and preparation requirements and must be entered at a
business mail entry unit of the Post Office where the permit
is held and the annual mailing fee paid.
• Mailpieces paid with precanceled stamps must bear
a complete domestic return address.
• Postage statements can be obtained from the local
Post Office, as well as online at http://pe.usps.com;
click Business Forms.
• First-Class Mail that cannot be delivered as
addressed is forwardable and returnable, as
appropriate. Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) that cannot be delivered as addressed is
disposed of at the delivery office unless the mailpiece
bears an appropriate ancillary service endorsement
(e.g., "return service requested"). Explain the
ancillary service endorsement options available and
their associated cost to mailers. Mailings bearing an
ancillary service endorsement must have a return
address located in the upper left corner of the
address side of the mailpiece.
• Standard Mail may receive deferred handling, and
delivery time cannot be assured.
Political Campaign Mailings
Any material mailed at First-Class Mail or Standard Mail
rates for political campaign purposes is classified as a
"political campaign mailing" if mailed by any of the
following:
• A registered political candidate.
• A campaign committee.
• A committee of a political party.
An individual or organization recognized as such by the
appropriate government (national, state, local) election
control authority is considered to be a registered political
candidate or party.
Using Tag 57 with Political Campaign Mailings
First-Class Mail and Standard Mail items entered by a
registered political candidate, campaign committee, or
committee of a political party can be identified by using Tag
57, Political Campaign Mailings, on the mailing containers.
Use of Tag 57 with eligible campaign mailings is optional.
For mailings prepared in trays and strapped, mailers can
affix Tag 57 with a wire twist tie to the strap at the end of the
tray that bears the tray label. If the Post Office permits letter
trays to be tendered without strapping, Tag 57 can be
affixed to the tray with a rubber band double-looped
through the handhold of the tray at the end that bears the
tray label. For flat-size mailings (prepared in sacks), affix
Tag 57 to the strap or label holder - depending on the type
of sack used.
Mailings made by organizations other than those listed
above, promoting or endorsing political candidates, referendums, and so forth, are not classified as political campaign mailings, and may not use Tag 57.
Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility and Rates
Section 3626(e) of Title 39, U.S. Code, permits certain
Standard Mail material to be mailed by a qualified political
committee at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. The following
political committees may be authorized to mail at Nonprofit
Standard Mail rates:
• A national or state committee of a political party.
• The Democratic Congressional or Senatorial Campaign Committee.
• The National Republican Congressional or Senatorial Committee.
A "national" (or "state") committee is the organization
that, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the political
party at the national (or state) level.
Only the above named political parties and committees,
which have received authorization from the Postal Service
for the location where they enter mailings, may mail eligible
materials at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. Except for mailings deposited under plant-verified drop shipment (PVDS),
a separate authorization is required at each Post Office
where mailings are entered.
A qualifying political committee may mail election-
related materials (e.g., candidate endorsements, sample
ballots, etc.) at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates if the materials are exclusively that of the qualifying political committee.
Qualified political committees may not make cooperative
mailings at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates involving material
mailed on behalf of, or produced for, individual candidates
or political organizations that do not qualify. Such cooperative mailings must be paid at First-Class Mail or Standard
Mail rates.
The following are examples of political committee mailings that do not qualify for Nonprofit Standard Mail rates:
• Material identified as having been paid for by the
campaign committee of, or treasurer of, an individual
candidate.
• Flyers, brochures, or other printed material prepared
or printed by a political candidate or his or her campaign organization.
• A mailing for which postage is paid for by a political
candidate or his or her campaign organization.
• A mailing made on behalf of a candidate in return for
a contribution to the qualifying political committee.
Political organizations and committees other than the
qualified political committees defined above are ineligible to
mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. Political party committees organized at the county or local level are not eligible to mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. These
restrictions, however, do not prohibit a state committee of a
political party from endorsing and supporting local candidates, as long as the campaign materials to be mailed at
Nonprofit Standard Mail rates are the state committee's
own and the committee pays the postage with no reimbursement from the candidates or other committees supporting those candidates.
Identification
All mailings at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates must identify the qualified political committee. The name and address
of the authorized qualified political committee must appear
either on the outside of the mailpiece or in a prominent location on the material being mailed. If the mailpiece bears any
name and return address, it must be that of the authorized
qualified political committee. For mailpieces paid with precanceled stamps, the name and address of the authorized
qualified political committee must appear as the return
address on the mailpiece.
Additional Information and Guidance
Postal Explorer (http://pe.usps.com) is the complete
resource for mailing standards. In addition to rate information and postage statements, Postal Explorer lets you view
the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual; current container labeling lists;
Quick Service Guides; related publications; and rate calculators. In addition, you have access to:
• An Introduction to Mailing for Businesses and
Organizations.
• Business Mail 101 - a tool for beginning or infrequent mailers.
• Standard Mail Eligibility Decision Tree and related
Customer Support Rulings.
• Updated Publication 417, Nonprofit Standard Mail
Eligibility (March 2006).
Post Offices needing assistance should contact their
district manager of business mail entry. Managers of business mail entry can contact the Pricing and Classification
Service Center.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 10-12-06
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