For the 1996 election, I mailed my absentee ballot from Maryland to Colorado about two weeks before the deadline. The local post office was located roughly 3/4 mile from my townhouse at the time and the ballot was placed in one of the blue boxes actually outside the post office. About 8 or 9 days later, the ballot showed up in my mailbox. Irate, I took it back to the post office, and posted it from the calendar, showing the clerk the delivery address and complaining not only that it was sent back to me but that they took over a week to do so.

Another week later, after Election Day had passed, the ballot showed up in my mailbox again.