How to tell if a political mailer is real. Five checks, and where to report a fake.
A fake political mailer borrows a name voters trust: a party, a candidate, a union or the election office itself. Some copy a party's sample ballot and change the endorsements; others look like official election mail. They show up in every cycle and from every direction, and the people they mislead are the voters holding them. These five checks take a minute.
- FIVE CHECKS · ANY MAILER
- 1who paid for it
- 2is that sender registered
- 3does it match the official ballot
- 4official election mail mark
- 5ask the source
Five checks before you trust a mailer.
None of them needs special tools. Each one catches a different kind of fake.
- 1. Find who paid
- Political mail has to say who paid for it. Look for the paid-for-by line and read the name exactly; look-alike committees often use a name close to a real one. State disclaimer laws
- 2. Check the sender is real
- Search the name in your state's campaign finance database or the FEC's for federal races. A registered committee has a filing; an invented one does not. State and FEC filings
- 3. Compare with the official ballot
- Your county or city election office publishes the official sample ballot. A mailer that lists different offices, or tells you to vote somewhere new, is wrong whoever sent it. Local election office
- 4. Look for the official mark
- Mail from election offices often carries the 'Official Election Mail' logo authorised by USPS. Campaign mail never should, and party sample ballots are not official ballots. USPS Official Election Mail
- 5. Ask the source
- If a mailer claims to be from a party, union or candidate, their website lists what they actually sent. Report a fake to your state election office or attorney general. Report it
The four shapes a fake mailer takes.
The borrowed sample ballot
A copy of a party's sample ballot with one or two endorsements changed. On Election Day 2024 in Alexandria, Virginia, sample ballots carrying a county party committee's logo were handed out at a polling place; that committee said they were not its own, and local leaders of the other party disowned them too.
The look-alike endorsement
A mailer styled like a trusted group's voter guide, endorsing a candidate the group never backed. Tennessee makes it a crime to intentionally mislead voters about who created or endorsed a sample ballot, and Shelby County's District Attorney has sent warning letters to groups distributing them.
The fake official notice
Mail made to look like it comes from the election office. In September 2026 Oregon's Secretary of State told voters to look for the Official Election Mail logo, saying his office was already receiving reports of misleading mail.
The wrong-date, wrong-place card
A card with the wrong polling place or deadline, often from outdated lists. Whoever sent it, the official source is your election office.
What a chip adds to these checks.
A check that takes two seconds
The five checks work, but few voters run them. A chip in the mailer runs the first two for them: a tap shows the registered committee and its filing.
A fake that stands out
A look-alike with no chip, or a copied chip, does not show as verified. Voters can report it from the same screen.
Not a judgement on content
Verification confirms who sent a mailer. It does not say whether its claims are true, and it is offered to every side on the same terms.
Rules where 2027 races are busy.
What a mailer must say depends on the state. These guides cover three states with large 2027 elections.
Verified Mailer
A chip in campaign mail that shows, on a tap, who really sent it.
Read the guide →Virginia 2027Virginia political mail rules
Disclaimers and the sample-ballot rule.
Read the guide →New Jersey 2027New Jersey political mail rules
Who paid, and where they are.
Read the guide →Kentucky 2027Kentucky political mail rules
What every circular must say.
Read the guide →ExplainerNFC vs QR
Why a printed code can be copied and a chip answers differently each time.
Read the guide →Fake mailers, answered.
How can I tell if a political mailer is real?
Read the paid-for-by line, check that the committee named is registered with your state or the FEC, compare any ballot information with the official sample ballot from your election office, and check the claimed sender's own website. Mail with an Aeroz chip can also be verified with a tap.
Is a party's sample ballot an official ballot?
No. A party or group's sample ballot is campaign material showing its endorsements. Only your election office issues official ballots and official sample ballots.
Are fake political mailers illegal?
It depends on the state and on what the mailer does. Many states require a paid-for-by disclaimer, and some, such as Tennessee, make it a crime to intentionally mislead voters about who created or endorsed a sample ballot. Your state election office or attorney general can say what applies.
Where do I report a fake political mailer?
To your state election office or secretary of state, and to the attorney general's office for possible fraud. For federal races, disclaimer complaints go to the Federal Election Commission. Keep the mailer and the envelope.
What is a slate mailer?
A mailer listing several candidates or measures, paid for by a group that may charge candidates to be included. Some states require slate mailers to say so. Check who paid for it before treating it as an endorsement.
Sources: ALXnow, 5 Nov 2024 · FOX13 Memphis, Shelby County DA warning · OPB, 22 Sep 2026 · FEC, advertising and disclaimers. Checked 1 November 2026. Not legal advice.
Fake political mailers borrow trusted names, from party sample ballots to official election notices. Checking the paid-for-by line, the sender's filing and the official sample ballot catches most of them; reports go to the state election office.
- Check first
- who paid
- Then
- the filing
- Official ballots
- election office only
- Report to
- state election office