Maricopa County Recorder Fixes Long-Standing Ballot Return Issue with Updated Envelope Design

PHOENIX, AZ –The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office has resolved a long-standing issue affecting voters who may receive a ballot affidavit envelope addressed to someone who no longer lives at their residence, an issue that had gone unaddressed through multiple administrations. As the Recorder’s Office conducts ongoing voter list maintenance, we have expanded efforts to proactively keep voter rolls accurate. However, despite these efforts, there are still instances where a ballot may be mailed to a voter who no longer resides at a given address. When this occurs, the current resident must return the ballot packet so it can be properly processed, and the voter rolls can be updated. Under the leadership of Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, the Recorder’s Office identified a key breakdown in this process. While prior ballot envelopes included a checkbox intended to indicate that a voter no longer resided at the address, the Office discovered that most of these envelopes were not being returned. After contacting the U.S. Postal Service, the Recorder’s Office confirmed that USPS mail processing systems do not recognize or act on a checked box. In most cases, envelopes marked only with a checkmark were simply returned to the same address rather than being routed back to the Recorder’s Office. To ensure proper handling, USPS requires that recipients clearly write “Return to Sender” or “RTS” on the envelope for it to be returned to the Recorder’s Office and processed correctly. To resolve this issue, the Recorder’s Office partnered directly with USPS to implement a solution. The result is a redesigned ballot carrier envelope that now includes clear, high-visibility instructions directing recipients to write “RTS” or “RETURN TO SENDER” if the addressee on the envelope no longer resides at the address. The updated layout and wording were developed in coordination with USPS to ensure compatibility with their mail processing systems. “This is a common-sense fix to a problem that had been overlooked for years,” said Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap. “We identified that a simple checkbox wasn’t working, worked directly with the USPS to understand why, and implemented a clear solution. But this only works if residents take a simple extra step, which is writing ‘Return to Sender’ or ‘RTS’ to ensure these ballots come back to us so we can keep our voter rolls accurate and up to date.” The yellow ballot carrier envelope now includes the following instruction: “If addressee does not reside at this address, write ‘RTS’ or ‘RETURN TO SENDER’ on this envelope, and return it to the U.S. Postal Service,” displayed in high-contrast reverse text on the envelope flap to maximize visibility. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office encourages all residents to follow these instructions should they receive a ballot for someone who no longer lives at their address. Not only does this help ensure accurate voter rolls, but it also supports the integrity of the election process. The improvement will also save Maricopa County taxpayers thousands of dollars in unnecessary postage costs. Additionally, eligible voters are encouraged to keep their voter registration information up to date, including their mailing address. Voters can review and update their information at BeBallotReady.Vote.