Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum To Open Voting by Mail Exhibition

Voting by mail did not start during the Covid-19 pandemic. It began in various forms during the Civil War when soldiers could not get home to vote, and it picked up steam again during World War II for the same reason. Mail has been and continues to be a method for providing citizens with access to election information and materials. Today, every state has some form of voting by mail.

The National Postal Museum’s exhibition “Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19” explores the significant role of voting by mail in America’s democracy. Over time, legislation for both military and civilian voting using the mail has been shaped by events and politics with provisions added, removed and amended.

On view Saturday, Aug. 24, through Feb. 23, 2025, “Voting by Mail” invites visitors to explore the changing logistical and political reasons for the various ways mail has been part of the election process, and how it continues to define where, when and how Americans vote in elections. Early methods for absentee voting that used the mail enabled military members to participate in elections when wartime deployments took them away from their polling precincts. The Civil War and World War II caused many states to temporarily establish or expand absentee voting for significant numbers of voters in the military.

Allowances for civilians voting absentee grew in the early 20th century and in 1901 Kansas became the first state to permit voting by mail but limited this to railroad employees traveling for work. Since the 1980s, in addition to in-person voting, some jurisdictions, including eight states and the District of Columbia, have instituted all-mail voting with the automatic distribution of ballots to registered voters. The public health emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic brought about temporary procedures, new laws and debates over using the mail for voting.

Objects on display focus on the early history of voting by mail in the U.S. and ways the mail is used in modern elections:

• A Civil War envelope for mailing soldiers’ votes on a tally sheet enabled deployed military service members to participate in the Ohio state election of 1864
• World War II absentee voting materials developed for U.S. Armed Forces, including the design of a blank ballot allowed the government to distribute them before specific candidate names became available, thus accommodating weeks-long mailing time for U.S. forces overseas
• Examples of modern election mail including an absentee ballot, an envelope for a mail-in ballot, an official election information guide, and notices announcing elections

“We are excited to present the role of mail in U.S. elections for government representatives serving the American public,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum. “The history of mail as an official conduit of election information and election voting materials has long been part of our nation’s history.”

The exhibition is supported by public and exhibition programming, as well as educational resources for teachers. A special website makes available the stories, themes and historical artifacts presented in the exhibition.

About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is currently open Friday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000.

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