Iowa postal workers are taking their message about voting by mail to the airwaves, launching a new television and digital advertising campaign urging Iowans to protect and expand access to mail-in voting.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) will begin airing its 30-second vote-by-mail advertisement in the Des Moines area this week. Postal workers will unveil the ad at a news conference Thursday, Oct. 8, where they will also discuss the importance of protecting voters’ ability to cast their ballots by mail ahead of the midterm election.
The ad features a wide range of voters explaining why they choose to vote by mail and concludes with a simple message: “Vote by mail — keep it, protect it, expand it.”
The Des Moines event is part of an unprecedented campaign by postal workers to push back against efforts to undermine confidence in voting by mail and create confusion among voters.
“I’ve seen the way we process ballots and election mail firsthand, and we want Iowans to know that voting by mail works,” said Mike Bates, president of APWU Local 44 in Des Moines.
Voting by mail has a long history in the United States, dating back to the Civil War. In Iowa, any registered voter can request an absentee ballot, and more than 694,000 Iowans requested a mail ballot in the 2024 general election.
Postal workers say recent attacks and conflicting messages about voting by mail have created unnecessary confusion for voters. They are using their firsthand experience handling election mail to remind Iowans that mail ballots are a secure, reliable and longstanding way to participate in elections.
“Iowa postal workers take on a greater sense of responsibility during election cycles,” said Kimberly Karol, president of the Iowa Postal Workers Union. “County auditors have worked with the USPS to create return envelopes that are highly recognizable. Absentee ballots are isolated in specially labeled containers to further increase the visibility of this mail and to communicate to postal employees in the delivery network its importance and the need to speed delivery.”
At Thursday’s news conference, APWU will also release the results of a national poll conducted jointly by leading Democratic and Republican pollsters showing broad support for voting by mail.
Iowa postal union leaders will discuss the steps being taken within the Postal Service to ensure ballots and other election mail are handled and delivered in a timely manner during the midterm election.
For postal workers, the message is straightforward: Vote by mail is a trusted part of American elections, and voters should be able to use it without confusion or unnecessary barriers.
Vote by mail — keep it, protect it, expand it.
The post Postal Workers Bring Vote-by-Mail Ad to Des Moines first appeared on APWU.