ElectionBuddy can send Postal Notices and Ballots to voters without electronic contact information. Postal Notices contain all the same information that an electronic notice would contain vote details, voting instructions, and an access link.
For Postal Notices, the notice takes a minimum of 2 days to be printed. Delivery can then take 1-5 business days if the addresses are within the United States, and will be longer for Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, and International addresses. To allow time for the mailing and voting process, votes using Postal Notices must be open for two weeks or longer.
Postal Notices are a feature available to elections in the professional pricing tier. Please see our Pricing Page for more information on the pricing of features. There is also an additional cost for postage - please contact us with the number of voters on your voter list and we can quote you a price.
Your voter list will require mailing addresses for voters who are receiving Postal Notices. ElectionBuddys mailing provider will only send notices based on USPS deliverability. If an address comes back as undeliverable, this is either because USPS doesn't recognize it as an address at all or because USPS recognizes it as an address but can't deliver there.
If you are interested in Printed Notices and Ballots where you distribute the printed paper notices and ballots. please see Printed Notice and Paper Ballots.
Postcard Notices
Postcard Notices can be less effective the shorter your vote duration is. They take time to reach your voters, whereas an electronic notification method is more instantaneous. If your vote is only running for a few days or even a few weeks, you will not be allowing enough time for your voters to receive their notice and take the time to vote. As a general recommendation, whenever possible, utilize a multi-channel strategy if you would like to notify your voters via mail.
This postcard can contain an optional QR code, which voters can scan to be taken directly to the ballot. You will have to provide the voters' mailing addresses in your voter list.
Setting up Postcard Notices
On the Notice Page, select "Postcard Notices” as well as any other notice types.
You can choose to either send notices as soon as the vote opens, at a future date and time, or only when voters request individually, on a voter-per-voter basis.
If a voter votes electronically before the Send Date, and no longer needs to receive a Postcard Notice, they are removed from the list of voters whose data will be sent to our printing company. This saves you money on postage, as your credit card will be refunded for any postcard notices that do not need to be sent out.
Include the Organization Logo. Adding your Organization logo adds branding, and helps the Postcard stand out in a voter’s mailbox as color logos are supported. Select “Add Organization” to choose a logo from files on your device. If you have already added a logo but need to update it, select “Edit Organization Logo" to select a new image file. Postcards can support color logs.
Include a QR code. Scanning a QR code on a cellphone will authenticate the voter and take them to their ballot in one quick step.
Return Address. Typically, an organization's mailing address so notices are returned to you if the voter has moved to help prevent unauthorized ballot submissions from individuals outside your organization. The return address must be in the US
Letter Notices with Paper Ballots
Letter Notices with Paper Ballots can be less effective the shorter your vote duration is. They take time to reach your voters, whereas an electronic notification method is more instantaneous. If your vote is only running for a few days or even a few weeks, you will not be allowing enough time for your voters to receive their notice and send back the paper ballot.
Letter notices can also include information about candidates and options. Voters will receive any available information about the candidates and options that have been added as a Candidate Profile.
Setting up Letter Notices
On the Notice Page, select "Letter Notices”, as well as any other notice types.
Choose to either send notices as soon as the vote opens, at a future date and time, or only when voters request individually on a voter-per-voter basis.
If a voter votes electronically before the Send Date, and no longer needs to receive a Letter Notice, they are removed from the list of voters whose data will be sent to our printing company. This saves you money on postage, as your credit card will be refunded for any postal letters that do not need to be sent out.
If your organization has a logo added through ElectionBuddy, you can use the variable {{organization_logo}} to add a logo to your Letter Notice. Please see Personalizing your Notices and Ballots with Variables to learn more.
Include a QR code. Voters will receive a QR code pointing to their ballot in their notices.
Include information about candidates and options. Voters will receive any available information about the candidates and options added as a Candidate Profile.
Include a Sample Ballot. Voters will receive a ballot with a "Sample" watermark over the ballot.
Include a Paper Ballot. Voters will receive a paper version of their electronic ballots.
Include a tear-off section for ballot submission. Have voters return a single piece of paper to you instead of sending back the entire ballot.
Return Envelope. Ballots with Return envelopes can be addressed to your location.
Ballot Only: No return envelope included
Ballot and Return Envelope: 1 envelope with voter address in the top left, and mailing address defined by you (addressed envelope)
Return Envelope Example
Return Address: Typically, an organization's mailing address so notices are returned to you if the voter has moved to help prevent unauthorized ballot submissions from individuals outside your organization. The return address must be in the US
Testing Postal Notices
When running a Test vote with Postal Notices, these will not be mailed. Once the test is running, you can preview your notices on the Voters Tab of the Results Page by selecting a voter and choosing "Preview Mail" from the menu.
A window will open after a few moments. Selecting the link will open a PDF of your postcard in a new tab.
To learn more on how to enter paper ballots received back, see Submitting Paper Ballots.
To find out more about the timing of notices please see this article: Notice Delivery - Timing of Email, SMS, Postal, Printed, and Manual Notices