Californians may think twice before waiting until the last minute to mail their ballot (or tax bill) this year, as the United States Postal Service (USPS) rolls out changes to how it issues postmarks.
A USPS postmark is an official mark that shows where and when the Postal Service accepted mail. It used to include the date when it was dropped in a mailbox or a post office lobby.
However, a new rule enacted on Dec. 24 will have the postmark reflect the date the mail is first processed by an automated USPS sorting machine, potentially days after it was dropped off, not the actual drop-off date…