Absentee Envelope Redesign Update

1.    Summary.
On April 28, the Commission unanimously approved several aspects of the absentee envelope redesign project:

• The EL-120 absentee mailer envelope (carrying the ballot to the voter) and El-122 absentee application and certificate envelope (carrying the ballot back to the clerk) will continue to utilize the #14 and #12 envelope sizes.
• The finalized envelope design is planned to be approved on August 4, 2023.
• The envelope design was approved as statutorily compliant, however please note, the design is not yet finalized or approved for use. 
• The new envelope designs must be in use by the 2024 Spring February Primary. Previous iterations of the absentee envelopes shall not be used again after a new design is approved. The current design can be used for special elections in 2023, if those special elections are held prior to the implementation of the new design.

2.    Timeline.
The project will now move into phase two, where the focus will shift to testing and refining the envelope design with input from voters and election officials. Additionally, the uniform instructions will be adjusted and presented to the Commission in June 2023. 

3.    Funding.
A subgrant to partially offset the costs of the transition to the new envelopes was approved by the Commission on March 4. Clerks can expect to receive more information on a subgrant in the coming weeks. The subgrant may not exceed $600,000. 

4.    Questions.
Email the HelpDesk at @email or call (608)261-2028.