Civil War to Covid-19

Collections

Artwork combining text, flower illustrations, and official ballot material. — Collage dated November 3, 2020, has an official ballot material mail piece addressed to supervisor of elections, Bradenton, Florida, set between the slogan “vote early” and a commonly used phrase in the Covid-19 pandemic-era with “mail” inserted for a play on words reading, “flatten the mail curve.”
Created by and gift of Jean Drury, 2023.2006.1

The museum currently has an initiative to seek historic and contemporary material from the United States for all time periods and locations for: election mail, political campaign mail, and non-governmental voting by mail. You can contact staff with offers to the collection at: Donating Collection Objects or Archival Materials.

The items in Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19 reflect the museum’s previous collecting priorities that have shaped the institution’s holdings as of 2024. Historically, the museum’s collecting areas on this topic have focused on watershed events including the Civil War, World War II, and the Covid-19 pandemic—time periods that all saw increases in the volume of election mail in the United States. This page includes the items identified and researched by the curatorial staff in the museum’s holdings as of 2024. Some of these items are described in detail on this site and some are also cataloged in the museum’s online database at: Search the Collection.

ELECTION MAIL
- EARLY AMERICA
  - Private subscription post office folded letter, to Massachusetts, 1792, 2023.2003.18
- CIVIL WAR
  - Civil War election cover, to Ohio, 1864, 2011.2061.1
- WORLD WAR II
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, to Mississippi, 1944, 0.260305.48.56.1
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, to Texas, 1944, 0.260305.48.59.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to Washington, 1944, 0.260305.48.60.1
  - Absentee ballot sheet, USA, 1944, 2024.2001.4
  - Navy Voting Manual, USA, 1945, 2024.2001.3
  - Absentee ballot interior return envelope, USA, 1944, 2024.2001.5
  - Special passport for William Callahan, USA, 1944, 2024.2001.6
  - Pan American Airways travel documents, USA, 1944, 2024.2001.7
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, USA, 1944, 1988.0058.2644
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, to Tennessee, 1944, 2002.2013.89
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, to Alabama, 1944, 2002.2013.90
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to Missouri, 1944, 2002.2013.91
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to Missouri, 1944, 2002.2013.92
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to Oregon, 1944, 2002.2013.93
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to Massachusetts, 1944, 2002.2013.94
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to California, 1944, 2010.2004.88
  - Absentee ballot return cover, to California, 1944, 2010.2004.94
  - Cover for mailing election material, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.1.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.2.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.3.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.4.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.5.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.46.5.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, California, 1944, 0.260305.48.46.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, California, 1944, 0.260305.48.47.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, California, 1944, 0.260305.48.48.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, California, 1944, 0.260305.48.49.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, California, 1944, 0.260305.48.50.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.48.51.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.48.51.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.48.52.1
  - Cover for mailing election material, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.48.52.2
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Delaware, 1944, 0.260305.48.53.1
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, Illinois, 1944, 0.260305.48.54.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Indiana, 1944, 0.260305.48.55.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Oregon, 1944, 0.260305.48.57.1
  - Absentee ballot return cover, Pennsylvania, 1944, 0.260305.48.58.1
  - Absentee ballot request postcard, Washington, 1944, 0.260305.48.61.1
  - Cover for mailing election material, Connecticut, 1944, 0.260305.50.75.2
  - Additional ballot return covers have been identified for cataloging.
- COVID-19 PANDEMIC
  - USPS election information circular, to South Carolina, 2020, 2023.2017.1
  - Absentee ballot instruction sheet, to Ohio, 2020, 2021.2003.1.1
  - Absentee ballot sheet, to Ohio, 2020, 2021.2003.1.2
  - Absentee ballot ID return envelope, to Ohio, 2020, 2021.2003.1.3
  - Absentee ballot return envelope, to Ohio, 2020, 2021.2003.1.4
  - Mail ballot packet outer envelope, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2022.2019.1.1
  - Mail ballot instruction sheet, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2022.2019.1.2
  - Mail ballot sheet, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2022.2019.1.3
  - Mail ballot secrecy sleeve, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2022.2019.1.4
  - Mail-in ballot return envelope, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2022.2019.1.5
  - Election information self-folding mailer, to Georgia, 2021, 2022.2014.1
  - Thirty-three various election mail items to Orange County, California, 2020-2022, 2024.2002.1 to 2024.2002.18, for example:
    - Voter notification postcard, to California, 2020, 2024.2002.5
    - Election circular, to California, 2021, 2024.2002.10
    - Voter information guide, to California, 2022, 2024.2002.14
  - Absentee ballot application form, for Ohio, 2020, 2022.2017.1
  - Election information circular, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.5
  - Election information circular, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.6
  - USPS election information circular, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.7
  - Voter guide booklet, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.10
  - Voter guide booklet, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.11
  - Mail ballot instruction sheet, to Washington, DC, 2020, 2023.2005.12
  - Election information self-folding mailer, to New York, 2020, 2023.2005.14
  - Election information from NY senator circular, to New York, 2020, 2023.2005.15
  - "Vote Early Flatten the Mail Curve" handmade poster with cover, Florida, 2020, 2023.2006.1 [official ballot material mail piece attached]
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN MAIL
- - Lincoln political campaign cover, USA, 1860, 2008.2004.72
  - Lincoln presidential political campaign cover, USA, 1864, 2008.2004.74
  - Lincoln political campaign cover, New York, 1860, 2010.2004.3
  - Lincoln political campaign cover, USA, c. 1861, 2012.2034.4
  - Political campaign postcard, to South Carolina, 2020, 2023.2017.2
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.2
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.3
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.4
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.5
  - Political campaign mailer, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.6
  - Political campaign mailer, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.7
  - Political campaign mailer, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.8
  - Political campaign mailer, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.9
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.10
  - Political campaign postcard, to Georgia, 2020, 2022.2014.11
  - Additional political campaign mail pieces have been identified for cataloging.
LETTERS ABOUT ELECTIONS
- - Letter to Rachel Walters from Isaac Walters, to Indiana, 1864, 1991.0291.94
  - Letter to Rachel Walters from Isaac Walters, to Indiana, 1864, 1991.0291.92
  - Letter to Rachel Walters from David Walters, to Indiana, 1862, 1991.0291.7
  - V-Mail letter sheet to Joseph Spiegelberg from Ruth Spiegelberg, from New York, 1945, 2007.2004.62
NON-GOVERNMENTAL VOTING BY MAIL
- - 2002.2001.4, 29c Elvis single stamp, USA, 1993 [design selected by mail-in ballot]
  - The Literary Digest’s poll on prohibition cover, 1930, see image and caption at the end of “Definitions” webpage.
INTERNATIONAL COLLECTION VOTING BY MAIL
- - 0.287577.2.5, Album page with cover sent via British Depot Mail and voter form on album page, 1941

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