Oklahoma to Print Green Absentee Envelopes to help USPS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma election officials will print new green absentee ballot return envelopes to help postal workers more easily identify mail-in ballots ahead of November’s election.

The Oklahoma Election Board announced the change after being notified by federal postal officials that the state’s mail-in voting deadlines are “incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.”

“This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the end of the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be counted under your laws as we understand them,” U.S. Postal Service Executive Vice President Thomas J. Marshall warned in a July 30 letter to the Oklahoma Election Board.

Oklahoma election officials remain confident absentee ballot mail will continue to be a priority, and postal officials recommended the green envelopes to help ensure that, said Oklahoma Election Board spokeswoman Misha Mohr.

Anyone can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail in Oklahoma. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Mail in ballots must be received 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.