Those big and mostly colorful postcards in your mailbox in recent weeks are the new election billboards of the day.

They keep coming and coming, so somebody ponying up the production cost and the postage must believe they are effective. By the sheer numbers — at last count our mailbox had received over 30 in the last two weeks — the postal service may be the biggest election winner.

The flashy cards report US Postage PAID, but they don’t say how much and they don’t always say where. Some of the cards are huge. That has to be big bucks when the audience can be county-wide, district-wide or statewide.

It’s easy to blink at the size of the mailer from a cost standpoint, but campaigns must see value. They offer a slick ride to get a candidate’s name out, along with the “Vote For” message.

The credible cards, in my book, report “Paid For By” name, address or identifiable political action committee affiliation.

Not all the mailers communicate bright and shiny messages. Some can be sneaky and snarky or just flat out made up.

When the message goes dark, and a sender’s attribution is sketchy, that’s bothersome.

Here’s my rule: Beware of the cards trumpeting a “Vote Against” condemnation, originating from some wannabe campaign overlord somewhere — not always Wyoming.

These are usually accompanied by the opposite of candidate ownership, as witnessed by the statement “not authorized by any candidate or a candidate’s committee.”

Read mailer cards with care.

And better yet, open the Powell Tribune online 2026 Primary Election Guide with comprehensive coverage and interviews with the candidates themselves.

View the guide at www.powelltribune.com/stories/2026-primary-election-guide,176603