Tarrant County voter surprised by extra postage charge for mail-in ballot
A Tarrant County woman hoping to avoid long lines on the first day of early voting was surprised to learn that mailing her ballot would cost more than the price of one Forever stamp. As voters across North Texas faced lengthy waits at polling locations, Reba Henry decided to vote by mail because standing for long periods is difficult for her, especially with surgery scheduled this week. “I didn’t want to take the chance of having to get caught having to stand in line because I wouldn’t have been able to do that, so I figured a mail-in would be the best thing for me to do,” Henry said. But when Henry took her mail-in ballot to the post office Friday, with a Forever stamp already attached, she encountered an unexpected charge. “And she says that’ll be 29 cents and of course I argued with her well, this has a Forever stamp on it, and she says, ‘well, this is overweight,'” Henry said. Her receipt showed the Forever stamp cost 82 cents, but she was required to pay another 29 cents in postage. Henry said she had mailed ballots in previous elections without being charged extra. “So I guess it was heavy ok but we should know those kinds of things going in that you may need to affix additional postage,” Henry said. What happens if a mail-in ballot doesn’t have enough postage? In a statement, the U.S. Postal Service said election officials are responsible for informing voters how much postage is required to return their ballots. “The Postal Service has successfully delivered America’s Election Mail for more than 150 years, and we are confident that we will do so again this year. We rely on longstanding, robust and tested policies and procedures that have proven successful in the secure and timely delivery of Election Mail. Each state, or local Board of Elections if authorized, determines whether to provide voters with a pre-paid return envelope for mail-in ballots or to request that voters apply their own appropriate postage. Election officials are required to inform voters of the amount of postage required, if applicable. If a return ballot is nevertheless entered into the mailstream with insufficient or unpaid postage, it is the Postal Service’s policy not to delay the delivery of completed absentee balloting materials, including mail-in ballots. In cases where a ballot enters the mailstream without the proper amount of postage, the Postal Service will deliver the ballot and thereafter attempt to collect postage from the appropriate Board of Elections .” Tarrant County elections officials did not respond to a request for comment, but the county’s website includes a reminder for voters returning their ballots by mail: “Extra postage is required for sending in your ballot by mail for the November 3, 2026 election. One Forever stamp will not suffice.” Henry hopes her experience serves as a reminder for other voters to double-check their postage before mailing their ballots. “I think it’s another step that we have to take, but it’s also the times that we are in,” Henry said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.