The American Postal Workers Union is taking its fight to protect Vote-by-Mail directly to North Carolina voters this week, launching a statewide television ad that will run in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Wilmington.
The 30-second spot features a wide range of voters explaining, in their own words, why they choose to vote by mail. It closes with the campaign’s central message: “Vote by mail — keep it, protect it, expand it.”
The ad begins airing in Raleigh on Sept. 15, moves to Charlotte on Sept. 16, and reaches Wilmington on Sept. 17. North Carolina postal leaders and voting rights advocates, including representatives of the North Carolina League of Women Voters, will appear alongside APWU members at each stop to explain why postal workers turned to the airwaves.
“We want North Carolinians to know that if you choose to vote by mail, your North Carolina postal workers will process your ballot to be delivered to election officials in an efficient and timely way,” said Daniel Matthews, president of the North Carolina Postal Workers Union Council.
Vote-by-Mail in the News
The rollout comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting vote-by-mail from taking effect for the 2026 midterms — a decision APWU President Jonathan Smith called “a victory for every American and a relief for postal workers who are committed to serving them.”
“Once again, the public can count on postal workers to ensure their vote is counted,” Smith said.
The union has argued from the start that the order was unprincipled, unlawful and unworkable. Vote-by-mail, Smith and other union leaders note, has been part of American democracy since the Civil War and has helped hundreds of millions of Americans cast a ballot safely and securely for generations, including during the past two election cycles.
The Numbers Behind the Message
Nationally, 1 in 3 voters cast a ballot by mail in 2024. In North Carolina alone, roughly 300,000 voters used mail ballots in the 2024 general election. Every state allows some form of absentee voting, and eight states plus the District of Columbia conduct elections almost exclusively by mail. The practice is especially popular among voters 65 and older.
A national poll conducted jointly by leading Democratic and Republican pollsters, released earlier this year, found broad, bipartisan support for vote-by-mail among voters nationwide.
Despite that record of security and popularity, Smith said, some in Washington continue trying to delegitimize mail ballots and create hurdles for voters who cast a ballot outside a polling place.
“It is past time for the board of governors to stand up for the Postal Service’s independence and ensure that this rule never sees the light of day,” Smith said. “Our message to the board is simple: Vote-by-mail works. Keep it. Protect it. Expand it.”
What’s Next
APWU members will hold public events in each North Carolina market as the ad airs, spotlighting the postal workers who process and deliver election mail and the voters who depend on them. The North Carolina rollout is part of a broader campaign that will continue through the fall as more states head toward the 2026 midterms.
The post Postal Workers Take Vote-by-Mail Ad Across North Carolina first appeared on APWU.