You may have heard the term “franking” before. According to the Committee on House Administration, the Congressional frank dates back to the House of Commons in 1600s England. Francus is the Latin word for free and the franking rules for Congress allow them to send mailings to voters without paying for postage. A number of rules and laws have shifted the franking rules over the years but beginning in 1997, the prohibition on pre-election mass mailings was expanded from 60 to 90 days ahead of primary and general elections.
August 8 is 90 days away from November 6.
Back in 2014, Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA 7), in an interview with NPR, talked about some of the issues with franking. “It’s either a congressional perk that looks a lot like someone campaigning with tax dollars, or it’s part of your constituent service responsibility,” said Woodall. Woodall and a Democrat colleague, Rep. Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, have previously introduced a bill to get rid of the frank. Legislators would pay regular postage, just like small businesses would do. “I’ll buy a bulk permit,” said Woodall.
The only trouble is, the frank is paid for by the taxpayers hidden deep within congressional accounting.
The frank is often labeled by critics as a huge advantage for incumbents.
Up in Milwaukee, the Journal Sentinel there recently reported on Republican incumbent Glenn Grothman and his spending nearly $270,000 on mail-related expenses. His campaign for re-election at the time had only spent a little more than that, still under $300,000. His Democrat opponent, Dan Kohl, condemned the franking expenses, saying they were just a way to make up for Grothman’s modest fundraising.
The frank is also not just reserved for members of Congress. On the local level, city council representatives, mayors and a slew of other offices have postal budgets approved by their various chambers. And these offices often do not have the franking regulations that Congress does. Last year, during the run-up to the Atlanta mayor’s race, a flurry of mailers from Atlanta City Council members or the City Council President went out across the city.
Eventual mayor, then-candidate, Keisha Lance Bottoms won the award for most communicative. She didn’t necessarily send out the most but her 56-page, color, glossy Annual Review – featuring some 80 pictures of Bottoms – was sent out all across the city. Far outside her then-district of about 35,000 in southwest Atlanta. None of those people had ever voted for her and were not her constituents. But they might vote for her in a mayor race. And many certainly did.
In the meantime, there are a few ways Congress can still communicate with its voters and citizens. Rep. Rick Allen’s office is soliciting for people to sign up for their eNewsletter. The rules around franking regard unsolicited communication. By signing up for the newsletter, voters can still be kept up to date by their representative’s office.
To learn more than you could ever probably want to know about the frank: https://cha.house.gov/franking-commission/what-frank
