I just received this year’s no-fee post office box renewal — I live in part of the US where home delivery is not provided. Therefore, the only way to get my absentee ballot or, more importantly, any notice from the clerk and recorder that they are going to remove me from the voting roles is through my post office box.
In the past, all I needed to do was confirm my address to keep my post office box by filling out a simple form saying I still lived there and drop it in the letter drop. This year, there is a mandatory form that cannot just be mailed back or put in the post box at the post office, it has to be hand delivered. And it requires two forms of “valid ID”, which are:
- Valid driver's license or state ID card.
- Military, government, university, or recognized corporate ID.
- Passport, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization.
- Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust.
- Voter or vehicle registration card.
- Home or vehicle insurance policy.
Please note — this list will now make it very difficult for a homeless person to get a no-fee post office box. This will drive more of the poorest Americans away from the post office. This is right on top of the SCOTUS rulings allowing states to remove people from the registered voter list who fail to reply to a de-registration notice.
It appears you can still RENT a P.O. Box without a photo ID but at least, as of this year, you cannot get a free P.O. Box without a photo ID. How many people will lose their post office access and, in turn, their access to communications on their voting status.