CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS AND ELECTION OFFICIALS NEW LAW WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCE DECEMBER 9 – 12, 2009 HYATT REGENCY, SACRAMENTO CA Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations Know the New Rules RICH STEWART SHIPPING SPECIALIST Sacramento District U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Agenda Formatting for Success Address Placement - Flats Tabbing Flexibility and Rigidity Loop Mail Intelligent Mail Benefits for Election Mailers Controlling Costs Protecting Your Discounts Price Adjustments Future Expectations Resources

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Address Placement - Flats The delivery address must be entirely within the top half of the mailpiece for all: -Standard Mail, Periodicals, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, Library Mail -Mailed at all Presorted, Automation, or Carrier Route prices. - Does not apply to First-Class Mail

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Address Placement — Enclosed Flat Formatting For Success Address Placement - Flats

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Address Placement — Unenclosed Flat Formatting For Success Address Placement - Flats

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Digests and other small flats “Vertical” address may cross midpoint if it begins or ends within 1 inch of top edge. Digest Or Small flat Registered Voter 1234 Main St Apt B211 Anywhere, USA inch line Formatting For Success Address Placement – Small Flats

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Tabbing - Flats Although not required, mailpieces may be prepared with tabs, wafer seals, cellophane tape, or permanent glue - if these sealing devices do not interfere with the recognition of the barcode, price marking, postage information, and delivery and return addresses.

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Tabbing - Booklets The pages of a booklet may be: Perfect bound Permanently fastened in at least two places to form a spine. Stapled (saddle stitch) Glued Pages attached together with one staple must be analyzed by the PCSC to determine eligibility. Joined by any other method that creates a uniformly thick mailpiece. NOTE: Large bound booklets (flats) may be folded to machinable letter-size (for booklets) for mailing if the final mailpiece remains uniform in thickness

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Tabbing - Booklets Booklets must meet the following standards: Height: not more than 6 inches or less than 3.5 inches high. Length: not more than 10.5 inches or less than 5 inches long. –Booklets that are oblong, sealed with glue, or created with light weight paper, can be 9 to 9.5 inches long based on the design. –Some booklet designs have different height and length restrictions. Thickness: not more than 0.25 inches or less than inches thick. Weight: not more than 3 ounces. Aspect ratio: within 1.3 to 2.5 (see ).

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Tabbing - Booklets Tabs – Physical Requirements Must be solid (no perforation) One small hole is acceptable Minimum Tab Size 1 ½ inches Three tabs are required to qualify as a machinable mailpiece. Translucent paper tabs - minimum 40-pound basis weight. Opaque paper tabs - minimum 60-pound basis weight. Paper face tabs - in the barcode clear zone Must meet the standards for background reflectance Standards for acceptance of water-based ink must be met. Vinyl tabs / cellophane tape - not acceptable within the barcode clear zone.

Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Formatting For Success Tabbing - Booklets Tabbing – Configurations Two tabs on leading edge placed: Within 1 inch of top of open leading edge ½ inch of bottom edge ¼ inch variance in placement allowed. One tab on the trailing edge Within 1 inch of top of open leading edge Tabs must be tight against the edge of the mailpiece. 1/16-inch overhang is recommended. See Domestic Mail Manual for additional configurations.

Formatting For Success Flexibility – All Flats Flat-size pieces must be flexible. The following test determines flexibility. Pieces that fail to qualify must be sent at NFM or parcel prices. 1.With the length parallel to the edge of a flat surface, extend the piece halfway off the surface. 2.Press down on the piece at a point 1” from the outer edge, in the center of the piece's length, exerting steady pressure. 3.The piece is flexible if it can bend at least 1”vertically without being damaged and it does not contain a rigid insert. 4.Pieces containing a rigid insert require additional testing. Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Formatting For Success Rigidity – Automation Flats 1.For pieces 10” in length and longer, place the piece with the length perpendicular to the edge of a flat surface. Extend the piece 5” off the surface. The piece is automation-compatible if it does not droop more than 4 inches vertically. (3” after 6/7/2010) 2.For pieces shorter than 10” in length, extend the piece ½ the length off the surface. The piece is automation-compatible if it does not droop more than 2” vertically. (No change 6/7/2010) An automation flat-size mailpiece must be flexible and must also meet maximum deflection standards. Test deflection as follows: Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Formatting For Success Loop Mail Many jurisdictions include a block for the voter’s signature, address, and delivery barcode, or polling place on the back of the Absentee Ballot return envelope. This may cause: Delayed delivery to election office Mail returned to the voter (loop mail) Worst case: ballot arrives too late to be counted. Recommendation: Only the address and barcode of the election office should be printed on the front of the return envelope. There should be NO address information on the back side. Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Intelligent Mail What’s in it for you? Sortation, address correction and tracking for letters/flats Best automation prices Full Service IMB Basic IMB Benefits Piece-level visibility Electronic address change notices (ACS) Required on all automation priced letter/flat mail May 2011 Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB)

Enables electronic mail tracking DESTINATION Confirm Outbound mail to voters Know when the ballots are being delivered ORIGIN Confirm Inbound mail from voters Integrate Voter ID into the IMB Advance notice that a ballot is on the way Close the loop on a specific voter Uses Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) Entire mailing can be analyzed Intelligent Mail OneCode Confirm ™ OneCode Confirm Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Protecting Your Discount Move Update Move Update - Requirements Move Update is required for mailpieces claiming Presorted or Automation prices for First-Class® Mail Move Update is required for all mailpieces claiming Standard Mail® prices (Letters, Flats, Parcels and Not Flat- Machinables) To meet the Move Update standard, mailers must be using addresses on mailpieces that have been updated using an approved method within 95 days prior to the mailing date First-Class Mail or Standard Mail mailpieces that use an exceptional or an alternative address format are not required to meet the Move Update standard Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

4 Pre-Approved Methods: Ancillary Service Endorsements ACS® or OneCode ACS® NCOALink ® FASTforward® Multiline Optical Character Reader 2 Methods Requiring Separate Approval: Legal Restraint Method 99 Percent Accuracy Method Protecting Your Discount Move Update Move Update – Approved Methods Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Protecting Your Discount 2010 Price Change “The Postal Service will not increase prices for market dominant products in calendar year 2010.” “Simply stated, there will not be a price increase for market dominant products including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals and single-piece Parcel Post. There will be no exigent price increase for these products.” - Postmaster General Jack Potter October 16, 2009 Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

What’s Coming? 5 Day Delivery? ???????? What Can You Expect? 5-day delivery: Has been proposed as a cost saving measure Must clear Congress Would take a while to implement Would have little effect on Election Mail No movement toward a decision as yet Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

What’s Coming? APO/FPO Program We anticipate a repeat of the very successful APO/FPO Special Procedures Program For General Election only (not Primary Election) Special handling for all Military Absentee Ballots Post Offices send ballots to nearest Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) P&DC expedite ballots via Express Mail® to ISCs ISCs provide accelerated sortation, special tray identification and priority transportation No official notice as yet Forward program info through Jill Lavine via ElectNet Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Election Mail Best Practices Work with your USPS Contacts – especially: Mailpiece Design Analyst Business Mail Entry Office Business Service Network Use Tag 191 and Official Election Mail Logo to increase visibility and enhance mail processing Establish special procedures for Military & Overseas Absentee Ballots Practice Address Hygiene Use Intelligent Mail Barcode Adhere to Move Update requirements Use your Election Officials’ Mailing Resources Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules

Election Officials’ On-line Mailing Resources Election Mail Resources Planning Addressing Designing MDA Look Up Pubs 631 & 632 Official Election Mail Logo and guidelines Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules