Effective November 7, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 703.8.0, Balloting Materials, to add the use of Priority Mail Express® Label 11-DOD on ballots.
In the January 28, 2010, Postal Bulletin (22277), the Postal Service introduced the Priority Mail Express Label 11-DOD for military absentee voting. The Label 11-DOD enables military personnel in overseas APO/FPO locations to return absentee ballots via Priority Mail Express service without prepayment of postage.
This revision adds new subsection 703.8.3 to include the option of using Label 11-DOD for military personnel in overseas APO/FPO locations returning absentee ballots.
Although this clarification will not be published in the DMM until November 7, 2016, this revision is effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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700 Special Standards
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703 Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility
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8.0 Balloting Materials
8.1 Basic Standards
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8.1.2 Exceptions to Standards
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[Add new item b to read as follows and renumber current items b through d as new items c through e:]
b. Ballots are prepared and mailed under 8.3.
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[Add new 8.3 to read as follows:]
8.3 Priority Mail Express Label 11-DOD
Absentee ballots may be returned by military personnel from overseas APO/FPO military locations using Priority Mail Express Label 11-DOD without the prepayment of postage. Ballots prepared with Label 11-DOD affixed for return by military personnel from overseas APO/FPO military locations are exempt from the marking and verification standards in 8.1.3 through 8.1.5.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Marketing and Sales, 10-27-16
