It’s hard to get excited about anything happening in Congress these days, but there is a bill moving through right now that should have mailers excited: H.R. 1307, the Vote by Mail Tracking Act. Obviously, a bill with “Mail Tracking” in its name is exciting to a company that spent the last ten years developing the most flexible and sophisticated mail tracking system in the nation, but this bill, if passed, also provides a world of opportunity for the mailing industry. Even if it doesn’t end up becoming law, the heightened awareness of the importance of mail tracking will provide a big boost.
Vote-by-mail and absentee ballots are used in virtually every voting jurisdiction in the country, and there are thousands of jurisdictions. Some are very large – Chicago, for example, mails hundreds of thousands vote-by-mail ballots. They have a very sophisticated mailing system in place, working with a local mail service provider. SnailWorks tracks their ballots to and from the voter, and adding tracking was easier because they were already using a professional mailer. Many districts, though, are very small and don’t traditionally have enough volume to justify hiring an outside mailer – Mabel in the back tapes on a label and licks the stamps. Adding tracking is far beyond their capabilities. H.R. 1307, if it becomes law as currently drafted, will require the Federal Government reimburse voting jurisdictions for any expenses involved in tracking their ballots. This may well give them the resources to use an outside mailing service – maybe you. Even many larger jurisdictions may not have a tracking system in place that meets the requirements of the bill.
As a SnailWorks reseller, you can make advanced mail tracking available now to jurisdictions of any size. One size does not fit all, and you can offer a variety of solutions that can meet the needs of any jurisdiction – from the smallest to the largest. Our solutions will provide USPS tracking both outbound and inbound and provide a means for every voter to see their own ballots tracked. We have worked with mail houses, agencies, and comminglers, serving all kinds of elections.
So, keep an eye on H.R. 1307. It has already been passed out of committee in the House by a 34 to 5 margin. It may be a big opportunity for everyone in the mailing industry – and protect the integrity of our democracy.