california association of clerks and election officials new law workshop and conference december 9...

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS AND ELECTION OFFICIALS

NEW LAW WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCEDECEMBER 9 – 12, 2009HYATT REGENCY, SACRAMENTO CA

Staying Ahead of USPS RegulationsKnow the New Rules

RICH STEWARTSHIPPING SPECIALISTSacramento DistrictU.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


Formatting For SuccessAddress 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


Address Placement — Enclosed Flat



Address Placement — Unenclosed Flat



Digests and other small flats

“Vertical” address may cross midpoint if it begins or ends within 1 inch of top edge.

DigestOr

Small flat

Reg

iste

red

Vote

r 12

34 M

ain

St A

pt B

211

Any

whe

re, U

SA 1

2345

1-inch line

Formatting For SuccessAddress Placement – Small Flats


Formatting For SuccessTabbing - 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.


Formatting For SuccessTabbing - 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



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 0.009 inches thick.

• Weight: not more than 3 ounces.• Aspect ratio: within 1.3 to 2.5 (see 201.3.1).



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.



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 201.3.15 for additional configurations.

Formatting For SuccessFlexibility – 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.


Formatting For SuccessRigidity – 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:


Formatting For SuccessLoop 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.


Intelligent MailWhat’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


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 MailOneCode Confirm ™

OneCode Confirm


Protecting Your DiscountMove 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


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 DiscountMove Update

Move Update – Approved Methods


Protecting Your Discount2010 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


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


What’s Coming?APO/FPO Program

We anticipate a repeat of the very successfulAPO/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


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


Election Officials’ On-line Mailing Resources www.usps.com/electionmail

Election Mail Resources

• Planning

• Addressing

• Designing

• MDA Look Up

• Pubs 631 & 632

• Official Election Mail Logo and guidelines


california association of clerks and election officials new law workshop and conference december 9...

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