UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

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UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

• WELCOME!
• TAMI KOENIG
• MAILPIECE DESIGN ANALYST
• BOISE ID

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UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE
MAILPIECE DESIGN ANALYST (MDA) Tami Koenig,
MDA for Southern Idaho ZIP Codes 832, 833, 834,
836 837 2201 S Cole Rd, Boise ID
83708-9700 [phone] Fax (208)
433-4054 Jerry Crispin, MDA in Spokane for
Northern Idaho ZIP Codes 835 838 2928 S
Spotted Rd, Spokane WA 99224-9690 [phone]
Fax [phone] Assist with address
design information, review layouts before
printing, provide artwork for reply mailpieces
and provide free design publications templates.

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UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
http//www.usps.com/ Latest information,
Postal Bulletin, ZIP4 lookup, rates, forms
pubs available for downloading, lots of
stuff! http//pe.usps.com/ Domestic
International Mail Manuals, Mailpiece Design
Postal Addressing Standards Election
Officials Mailing Resources http//www.usps.co
m/electionmail/ Assist election officials
to use the mail for sending official
election materials to voters.
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UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

• MAILPIECE DESIGN AGENDA
• OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
• NON-OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE FORMAT
  REQUIREMENTS
• USPS OFFICIAL ELECTION LOGO ELECTION OFFICIALS
  MAILING RESOURCES WEBSITE
• ADDRESSING MAILPIECE DIMENSIONS (Time
  permitting).

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 703.8.0 - Absentee
  Balloting Materials (pe.usps.com)
• Balloting materials, consisting of postcard
  applications, ballots, voting instructions, and
  envelopes, may be sent through the mail without
  prepayment of postage to enable persons in
  specific categories to apply for registration and
  vote by absentee ballot when absent from the
  place of voting residence and otherwise eligible
  to vote as an absentee.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• The specific categories are
• a. Members of the Armed Forces in active service
  and their spouses and dependents.
• b. Members of the U.S. Merchant Marine and their
  spouses and dependents.
• c. U.S. citizens residing outside the territorial
  limits of the United States and the District of
  Columbia and their spouses and dependents
  residing with or accompanying them.
• Ballots must be deposited at a US Post Office, an
  overseas US Military Post Office, or an American
  Embassy or American Consulate.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• Official Balloting materials may be mailed
  between state and local election officials,
  individually or in bulk, without prepayment of
  postage. Packages of materials mailed in bulk
  must bear an address label as described in DMM
  703.8.2.1 (see slide of Exhibits 8.2.).
• Materials may be for any general election of
  electors for President and Vice President, or of
  senators and representatives in Congress, and
  other general, primary, and special elections.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• The envelope used to send Official Balloting
  Material and the envelope supplied for return of
  the ballots must have printed across the face the
  words "Official Absentee Balloting
  MaterialFirst-Class Mail" (or similar language
  required by state law) in a rectangular box.
• Immediately below this box, the words "No Postage
  Necessary in the U.S. MailDMM 703.8.0" must be
  printed.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• Envelopes previously approved with the citation
  "DMM E080, instead of DMM 703.8.0 can be used
  until a new supply is printed.
• In the upper right corner of the envelope, in a
  rectangular box, the words "U.S. Postage Paid, 39
  USC 3406" must be printed.
• An appropriate inscription or blank spaces for
  the return address of the sender must be shown in
  the upper left corner (see DMM Exhibit 8.2.1 and
  next slide)

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• DMM Exhibit 8.2.1 Balloting Material Format for
  preaddressed Balloting Material Mailpieces and
  Voter Registration Postcard

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• Counties that are not preprinting the address and
  a POSTNET barcode for their address, will have a
  different pattern of 6 long bars, called a FIM
  (Facing Identification Mark), in the upper right
  corner of the mailpiece (previous slide includes
  FIM C).
• The FIM lets our postage detection equipment know
  the type of mailpiece and whether there should be
  postage attached to the mailpiece.
• The FIM also tells our equipment whether the
  mailpiece is prebarcoded so that it can do an
  initial separation.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• FIM C (illustrated in Exhibit 8.2.1) is for
  preaddressed prebarcoded (62 bar Delivery Point
  POSTNET Barcode) Official Balloting Material.
• FIM B is for Official Balloting Material where
  the address barcode are not preprinted on the
  mailpiece. The USPS will apply a barcode when
  the pieces go through our Mail Processing system.
  See FIM B in next slide.
• These 2 types of FIMs let our equipment know
  that postage is not required for these
  mailpieces. The USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst can
  work with your printer to insure the correct FIM
  pattern is used.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
DMM Exhibit 8.2.2 Balloting Material Format (FIM
B) for Balloting Material Mailpieces Voter
Registration Postcards that are not preaddressed
barcoded.
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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• The Exhibit 8.2.2 design must be printed on the
  address side of the federal voting registration
  postcard application and envelopes used to send
  balloting material when they do not include a
  preprinted address barcode.
• For voter registration, the postcard size must
  always be 5 inches high by 8 inches long. USPS
  requires the thickness to be at least .009
  uniformly.

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US POSTAL SERVICE NON-OFFICIAL BALLOTING
MAILPIECE FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• On regular Balloting Material mailpieces (when
  voter does not fall into the 3 categories), the
  outbound envelope that includes the balloting
  material or the registration postcard cannot
  include any of the Official Balloting Material
  format elements. The county will be paying for
  the postage on the mailpiece when it is sent to
  the voter and the voter will be applying postage
  to the reply envelope or postcard on return.

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US POSTAL SERVICE NON-OFFICIAL BALLOTING
MAILPIECE FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• When the counties address is preprinted on the
  reply (returning) envelope or postcard we
  recommend that a FIM A and 62 bar Delivery Point
  barcode for that county also be preprinted. This
  is highly recommended and sometimes required for
  efficient mail processing. The USPS can provide
  you with the appropriate camera ready artwork for
  these reply pieces free-of-charge (see
  illustration on next slide).
• FIM A indicates to our equipment that postage
  must be applied to the mailpiece.
• For those counties that do not preprint the
  address side of a reply envelope or postcard for
  return to their specific county address, FIM A or
  any other FIM pattern and barcode canNOT be used.

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US POSTAL SERVICE NON-OFFICIAL BALLOTING
MAILPIECE FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
Illustration of prebarcoded return mailpiece
including FIM A, address, and 62 bar Delivery
Point Barcode for the address.
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US POSTAL SERVICE - BALLOTING MAILPIECE FORMAT
REQUIREMENTS - SUMMARY

• Official Balloting Material with preprinted
  address barcode (usually for purposes of
  return), use FIM C and Delivery Point Barcode
  along with all other required elements (Exhibit
  8.2.1)
• Official Balloting Material without preprinted
  address barcode, (for both return mailpieces
  mail going out from counties to specific voters)
  use FIM B along with all other required elements
  (Exhibit 8.2.2)
• Non-Official Balloting Material with preprinted
  address barcode (for purpose of return), use
  FIM A and Delivery Point Barcode. Postage is
  required.
• Non-Official Balloting Material without
  preprinted address barcode (for both return
  mailpieces mail going out from counties to
  voters), no FIM or barcode can be used. Postage
  is required.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL ELECTION MAIL LOGO

• As part of their partnership with the Joint
  Election Official Liaison Committee, the USPS
  developed a unique trademarked logo to be
  incorporated in the design of Official Election
  Mail.
• The purpose of this symbol is to have a icon that
  federal, state, and local government election
  officials can use on their mailings that are
  identified as Official Election Mail materials.
  The symbol identifies the mail as it moves
  through the USPS system.
• The intent is to place it on the mailing in
  accordance with our regulations so the mail can
  be worked in an efficient and cost-effective
  operation.

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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL ELECTION MAIL LOGO

• In order to use this logo, the mailpiece must
  contain materials specific to an election such as
  a balloting material, voter registration,
  absentee application or polling place
  notification. In other words, mail created by an
  Election Official that is sent to or from a voter
  for the purpose of participating in an election.
  This includes Official Balloting Materials and
  Non-Official Balloting Materials.
• The Election Mail Users Guide Logo can be
  downloaded from www.usps.com/electionmail
• Since this logo is trademarked, please see the
  requirements for its utilization at the above
  website.
• This website also includes information to assist
  with Planning Addressing Election Mail.

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DELIVERY ADDRESS RECOMMENDATIONS for ALL Mail
Pub. 28, Postal Addressing Stds.

• MACHINE PRINT COMPLETE ADDRESSES
• USE ALL CAPS OMIT PUNCTUATION
• USE 10 OR 12 POINT TYPE SIZE
• SINGLE SPACING BETWEEN LINES
• USE BLOCK STYLE - LEFT JUSTIFY
• USE SIMPLE SANS-SERIF FONT SYTLE, i.e. ARIEL,
  CENTURY GOTHIC
• WINDOW ENVELOPES Address always visible with
  1/8 clear space between it window

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DIMENSIONS

LETTER SIZE
11-1/2

Thickness Minimum
5
.007
3-1/2
6-1/8
Minimum
Maximum
1/4 (.25)
Maximum
Length is dimension parallel to delivery
address. Pieces weighing over 1 oz. may require
additional postage. Pieces larger than 4-1/4 x
6- minimum thick .009

.
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DIMENSIONS
FIRST-CLASS MAIL POSTCARD SIZE

Thickness Minimum
6
5
.007
3-1/2
4-1/4
Maximum
Minimum
.016
Maximum
Oversized cards larger than 4-1/4 x 6 -
minimum thickness goes up to .009 postage is
letter-rate.
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DIMENSIONS
LETTERS (DMM 202.2.0)
If Aspect ratio (length divided by height) of
letter-size mail is less than 1.3 or more than
2.5, additional surcharge applies unless mailed
at postcard rate.
Length Height 1.3 to 2.5
1.25 4 5.0 Acceptable only
WITH surcharge
1.8 Example 5 9.0 Acceptable
with NO surcharge.
5

4
5
9
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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL BALLOTING MAILPIECE
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

• DMM Exhibit 8.2.1 Balloting Material Format for
  preaddressed Balloting Material Mailpieces and
  Voter Registration Postcard

Exhibit not drawn to scale. This barcode (lower
right corner) not for use on an actual mailpiece.
The Barcode must represent the address printed on
the piece.
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US POSTAL SERVICE - OFFICIAL ELECTION MAIL LOGO
This illustration is not drawn to scale. Please
refer to Official Election Mail Guidelines
Conditions of Use on our website at
www.usps.com/electionmail/