Print Labels for Mail Ballot Packages

This topic explains how to print one or more address labels for ballots mailed to voters. The label information is printed on Avery type labels.

Note:  If you want to print directly onto envelopes, see Print Envelopes for Mail-Ballot Packages. With envelope printing, you have the option of also printing a single label along with each envelope.

You can print multiple labels for each voter to accommodate the way your county handles ballot mailings. The first label has a bar code. This label is designed to be used as the return address label for the envelope in which the ballot is returned to the elections office. If you choose to print additional labels, the second might be used as the mailing label on the outer envelope, while a third might be affixed to the ballot stub (the tear-off tab on the ballot). See Label Layout for more information. The layout is hard-coded in Voter Focus and cannot be modified as can the envelope layout.

The label printing capability is divided into separate batches—called run types—described here. Each run type typically has its own requirements for envelope preparation or the items inserted in the envelope, so you should process each run type every time you create labels.

Note:  If you are creating labels for advance ballots, only the following run types are needed, but be aware that advance ballots are only used in rare circumstances.

OverseasMilitary

Overseas Civilian

Absent Domestic Military

Email

Fax

Each label run type reevaluates voters' current registration status, party, and precinct to determine their current eligibility and ballot style. This assures you that a voter who makes a mail ballot request and then moves to another precinct or party prior to the run will receive the correct ballot for their new precinct/party. Voters who moved out of county after making a request, or who became ineligible for some other reason, are included in the Absentee Requests not provided Ballots list in the report produced by the run.

Prior to the assignment of ballot styles to precincts (and designation of the federal election style for Fed Elections Only voters), voters who make a mail ballot request for the election will have XXX in the Style column on the Vote-By-Mail tab of their record. The reevaluation by the run also examines these voters and replaces the XXX placeholders of eligible voters with the appropriate ballot styles.

The printing of mail ballot labels causes an update to each voter record indicating that a mail ballot for the election has been delivered. You should be aware that reversing the update requires making a manual adjustment to each voter's record, so do not print labels until you are certain you are doing so at the appropriate time.

Note: For counties using the USPS Confirm One Interface:  Due to size restrictions, the Intelligent Mail Barcode is not printed on absentee labels.
  • Set the election status to Active. See Election's Status for information on changing the election status.
  • Verify that all voting precincts have ballot style assignments. See Assign Ballot Styles for instructions on ballot style assignment.

If the labels do not print properly, see Reprint a Run of Mail-Ballot Labels or Envelopes.

  1. Ensure that the election you want is in focus.
  2. Go to Vote By Mail > Vote-By-Mail Options.
    1. On the Envelopes and Labels tab:
      • Make any modifications you want to the sort sequence.
      • Select the number of labels to print. The first label contains a bar code; subsequent labels do not.
      • From the Label Size drop-down list, select the label size that matches your label printer sheets.
      • Clear the check box Print Vote-By-Mail Envelopes.
    2. On the Label Printers tab, verify that the settings for label printing are correct for your office.
    3. Click Exit.
  3. Go to Vote By Mail > Deliver Ballots.
  4. On the Deliver Ballots dialog, select the type of run (for example, OverseasMilitary). Each of the run types has different requirements for envelope preparation or the items inserted, so they must be run in separate batches. You should process each run type every time you create labels.
    5. Note:  Military Dependents are included in the Overseas Military, Domestic Military, Absent Domestic Military, Email, and Fax runs.
  5. If you want to limit the print run to a specified number of voters, enter the number in Maximum ballots to print.
  6. Verify that Export to Mail House and Pitney Bowes are not selected.
  7. In the Mailing Date field, enter the date that the packages are scheduled to be mailed. This date will appear on the Vote-By-Mail tab of voter records, so that workers will be able to advise voters who want to know when their ballots were mailed. Click OK.
    8. Note:  The mailing date cannot be in the past. If you enter a date that is more than 15 days in the future, you will see a message that the ballots cannot be return processed until after the mailing date.
  8. Select the ballot styles to be included in this print run.
  9. Click OK. Voter Focus generates an onscreen report of voters for whom labels will be printed and the totals for each ballot style. The report also lists any voters who requested a mail ballot, but who will not be included in the print run and the reason why. Review the report carefully to verify it lists the voters you intend to include in the print run. If there are any errors, fix them and start again with step 3.
  10. When you are certain that the list is accurate, click Update to continue. Clicking Update also changes the status of the voters’ mail ballot requests for this election from Absentee Ballot Requested to Delivered as of the mailing date you specified in step 7.
  11. On the Windows Print dialog, select the printer where the label sheets are loaded and click Print. When you see the message Printing of Labels is Complete, the print run is finished. (For mail elections, this confirmation does not appear. This is to allow the run to be completed in an overnight session.)
  12. If the Ordered List of Absentee Labels generated above shows any voters who requested a ballot but were not included in the run, print the report and research each exception to determine if they should have received a ballot.