August 31, 2026
September is an important month for boards of elections preparing for the November General Election. With the September 19 MOVE Act ballot mailing deadline approaching and early in-person voting beginning in September and October, there’s little room for delays when preparing military and overseas ballots.
For boards of elections, working through a detailed checklist now can help keep ballot production, packaging, and delivery on schedule.
Your MOVE Act Ballot Mailing Deadline Checklist
The MOVE Act requires ballots to be transmitted to eligible military and overseas voters at least 45 days before a federal election, provided the voter’s request was received by that point. For the November 3, 2026 General Election, that makes September 19 a critical deadline.
The following checklist can help your board stay on track as you prepare, print, package, and mail ballots ahead of this important date.
1. Confirm the September 19 Deadline
Start by marking September 19 as the firm target for your MOVE Act ballot mailing. While the federal requirement focuses on timely transmission, your production schedule needs to account for everything that happens before the ballots leave your facility, including file preparation, proofing, printing, packaging, labeling, and delivery.
Building your schedule backward from the deadline gives your team time to address unexpected issues without putting voter access at risk.
2. Finalize Your MOVE Act Files
Before sending files to your election printer, confirm that all ballot files are complete, accurate, and in the required format. Review candidate and contest information, ballot versions, jurisdiction-specific details, and any other required elements before production begins. It's also important to confirm that you have the paper ballot supply needed for your upcoming election.
Our team at Phoenix Election Printing provides MOVE Act file generation along with early ballot layout and ballot printing services to help boards of elections prepare materials for timely mailing.
3. Verify Military and Overseas Voter Addresses
Address accuracy is especially important when you're mailing ballots to voters serving in the military or living outside the United States. Military voters may use APO or FPO addresses, while overseas civilian voters may have international mailing addresses that require additional handling and delivery time.
Review your voter data carefully and confirm that addresses are current before mailing. For military addresses, follow the applicable USPS addressing requirements, including the correct unit and box information for APO and FPO mail.
4. Review Ballot Proofs and Mailing Materials
A final proof review is an important checkpoint before production. Confirm that the ballot, instructions, envelopes, labels, and other materials match the approved versions and that each piece is appropriate for the intended voter group.
Pay close attention to details such as paper stock, ballot and envelope specifications, formatting, contrast, and other vote-by-mail and absentee ballot printing requirements. It's also important to check for incorrect jurisdiction information, missing materials, or mismatched ballot versions before anything goes to press. Catching an error before printing is much easier than correcting one after ballots have been mailed.
5. Prepare Secure Packaging and Labeling
Military and overseas ballots need to be packaged and labeled carefully so materials remain secure and reach the correct voter. Your mailing plan should account for the ballot itself, required envelopes, instructions, and any other materials included in the voter packet.
Secure ballot envelopes, clear labeling, protective packaging, and other print solutions for smooth elections can help keep election materials organized and protected throughout the fulfillment and mailing process. Phoenix Election Printing offers secure mailing fulfillment, including county- and election-district-specific labeling, pre-printed shrink wrap, sealed cartons, and security-specific tape.
Phoenix Election Printing offers secure mailing fulfillment, including county- and election-district-specific labeling, pre-printed shrink wrap, sealed cartons, and security-specific tape. These options can help your team manage large-scale election mailings while keeping materials organized and protected.
6. Build in Enough Time for Delivery
The September 19 deadline isn't simply a production deadline. Military and overseas voters can face longer delivery windows, making the logistics of getting ballots to the correct destination an important part of your planning.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program recommends that election officials review current USPS guidance and consider delivery windows when preparing election mail. APO and FPO addresses also require additional mailing time and specific handling.
7. Confirm Your Freight and Delivery Plan
Before your ballots are ready to leave production, confirm where materials need to go, when they need to arrive, and how they'll get there. For boards managing high-volume ballot orders, direct freight delivery can simplify the final stage of the process and reduce unnecessary handling.
Our direct freight delivery options are designed to help election offices coordinate secure, timely delivery of ballots and other election materials. Confirming the delivery plan early gives your team a clear path from production to the election office or distribution point.
8. Complete a Final Quality-Control Check
Before the mailing goes out, complete one final review of the entire order. Check quantities, ballot versions, voter data, labels, envelopes, packaging, and delivery destinations against your approved specifications.
A documented final quality-control process gives your team another opportunity to catch discrepancies before materials leave the facility. It also helps keep everyone involved in production, fulfillment, and delivery working from the same information.
9. Plan for the Unexpected
Even with a carefully planned schedule, election preparation can involve last-minute changes. Leave some room in your production timeline for corrections, updated information, reprints, or shipping issues rather than scheduling every step right up against September 19.
The earlier your ballot files and mailing requirements are finalized, the more flexibility you'll have if something changes. A little extra time can make a significant difference when you're working toward a federal deadline.
Stay Ahead of the MOVE Act Ballot Mailing Deadline
The September 19 MOVE Act ballot mailing deadline should be treated as a firm milestone, not a last-minute target. By finalizing files, verifying military and overseas voter addresses, reviewing proofs, preparing secure packaging, and confirming your delivery plan early, your board can keep the mailing process organized and on schedule.
At Phoenix Election Printing, we provide ballot printing, MOVE Act file generation, secure ballot mailing, packaging, and direct freight delivery to help boards of elections manage critical election deadlines. Contact us today to discuss your upcoming ballot mailing needs and build a production and delivery plan that works for your election.
