By Miriam Raftery

December 30, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Don’t wait until the last minute to mail in a ballot, tax return or other important documents. A change in U.S. Postal Service regulations that took effect December 24 means that mail is no longer considered postmarked on the date that you drop it in a mailbox or at a post office counter. Instead, it won’t be postmarked until it’s processed by an automated USPS sorting machine, which could mean delays of several days.