Absentee ballot return label missing

Does anyone have a similar problem?

I filled out my ballot put it in the envelope only to discover that the clerk forgot to put her label on the front of the return envelope. If I mail it, it will come back to me as undeliverable because there is no address to send it to.
I've notified the local Dem headquarters and the newspaper.

This is the letter, just to the news desk not to the editor, I sent to the paper:

I received my absentee ballot yesterday and it is lacking an important feature. Yes it has the ballot but when I sealed the envelope I noticed that the address was missing from the front. There is a message printed on the front next to where the address is to be placed that says: Clerk sending out absent voter's ballot will insert his own official return address here. How many others got their ballot return envelope in the same condition? Is this a small (but still harmful) over-sight on a handful of envelopes? Did it happen to a large number if so; is it gross negligence or voter fraud? I understand that the clerk is a republican - did she do it on purpose and what is she going to do to correct this "error"?
The instructions are very specific and don't include an address nor instructions to add one. There WILL be people who follow the instructions and put the envelope in the mail, will the post office direct this important mail to the proper destination. Even though the voters name and address are on the back I can't believe the post office will get the ballot to the right place or that it is even possible for them to do anything but return the letter to the voter.
There is still time to fix this mess but it has to be done quickly.

Contact your local postmaster and explain your problem. If it's happened to you, I'd say it's likely not an isolated incident; there may be others. Probably not many, unless the clerk uses automated equipment to affix the address label, but I bet there are more. You may want to tell him or her to notify the supervisor in the manual letters area of the distribution center your mail goes to that this has occurred; doing so will raise a flag that there may be others with a similar problem. The people working in manual letters will then be able to watch for them and filter them out.

I don't see an issue with writing the address on the envelope yourself if you have the correct address, though. Just make certain your printing is done in clear printed writing, not cursive. Our handwriting recognition software has a bit of trouble with cursive, IIRC.

Also call the clerk and ask if a handwritten address is acceptable. I'm sure there's no problem with that, though.

They now can't go to the polls and vote and if they get frustrated with this glitch they may not vote.

I'm sure I can write an address in but it isn't in the instructions and people manage to screw these things up. We stressed all that people have to do is closely follow the instructions, get it witnessed and mail. I'm afraid that a significant enough numbers won't catch the error and valuable time will be lose. Also some people have no patience for hassles - usually I'd say the hell with 'em but this is way too important.

They're the two people who can do something about it. Go to the media if they brush you off.

I think I put the cart before the horse. I just want everyone on this if it is bigger than one missed envelope.

The local Dem. headquarters contacted their supervisor. I sent them your suggestion also.

Thanks again

I will be going to the mayors office tomorrow to complain.

I have cooled off over the weekend, somewhat.

Kelly Sager just called me back and this is what she told me:

1. The envelopes were supposed to be pre-printed with the address on them. Even though the envelope says “ clerk sending out absent voter’s ballot will insert his official return address here.”
2. She got 4 calls about missing addresses.
3. They mailed out over 2000 and have no idea if any of them had addresses on them. When I asked her why no one noticed why the address was missing her reply was. It was suppose to be there so no one bothered to look. (Can anyone say negligence?)
4. Kelly was certain that the post office will get any that come in without an address

Later she told the reporter from the Daily Herald that she did notice that one box came from the printers without the address's but she was going to use them for something else. (They are marked on both sides for use with absentee voting so what other use she had in mind I can't imagine.) Someone on her staff mistakenly grabbed that box and no one noticed the missing address as they were stuffing envelopes. She also told the reporter that 1200 ballots went out and only 250-500 would not have the needed address on them.

The only item that stayed unchanged was that the envelopes were put together assembly fashion and no one noticed the missing address.

During our phone conversation I mentioned to Kelly that I thought she should call the Postmaster and see what he could do about it. The reporters said she had and that the ballots with or without the address will be routed to the correct place.

The reporter told me that the clerk's office will be sending a letter to everyone that got an absentee ballot.