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The USPS just changed how postmarks work—and it will affect mail-in voting while hitting Americans with late fees on everything from tax payments to rent checks.Starting in 2026, your postmark date won’t reflect when you actually mailed something anymore. Instead of stamping mail with the date you dropped it in a mailbox or handed it to a postal worker, USPS will now mark it with whenever their sorting machine gets around to processing it—potentially days later.