New postal rule could affect elections

By Charles Sercombe
Heads up, voters.
For those who vote by absentee ballot and mail it in, there has been an important change in postal regulations.
From now on, the post office will no longer date any mail on the day they receive it. Instead, mail will now be postmarked when it is processed by the post office’s sorting machine – not on the actual date it was dropped off.
The implication for voters is that their ballots may be postmarked after the election date – meaning that they will be disqualified from being counted. In Michigan, absentee ballots that are postmarked on election day are still counted, even if they come in late.
This new rule change could affect election results.
But there is one way for voters – or anyone whose mail, such as bills, are time sensitive – to avoid not having their ballots postmarked in time to qualify for being counted or verified.
You can ask the post office clerk to time stamp your mail, which goes by the technical name of getting a “round date stamp.” Yes, that will mean standing in line and waiting – which could be a major inconvenience for some.
Another option is to drop off your absentee ballot at the Hamtramck city clerk’s office in city hall, or place it in a drop box in front of city hall.
Critics of this new rule say it is meant to harm liberal cities and states.
President Trump has claimed, without proof, that absentee ballots are a way for people to cheat, and that these ballots should be discontinued – despite the fact that he has, himself, voted by absentee ballot in the past.
However, the use of absentee ballots in Hamtramck has been controversial. There were accusations of ballot harvesting by some candidates and their associates in the August primary election, and in prior elections.
A city hall surveillance camera recorded a number of people dropping off handfuls of absentee ballots at a drop box in front of city hall.
And there is also the matter of councilmember Mohammed Hassan facing the following felony election fraud charges:
• Count 1: Forging a signature on an absentee ballot application
• Count 2: Election law forgery
• Count 3: False statement on an absentee ballot application
Hassan is scheduled to go to trial in April in Wayne County Circuit Court. He is denying the charges.
Posted Jan. 16, 2026