Reba Henry brought her ballot to a post office on Friday with an 82-cent Forever stamp attached. She said postal staff told her the envelope was overweight and charged an additional 29 cents.

Henry said standing for a long time is difficult for her, and she has surgery scheduled this week. She chose to vote by mail rather than risk being unable to wait in line.

“I didn’t want to take the chance of having to get caught having to stand in line because I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Henry said.

Tarrant County’s voting-by-mail webpage warns that extra postage is required to return ballots for the November election and that one Forever stamp will not suffice. Henry said she had mailed ballots in past elections without paying extra and wants voters to check the postage requirement before sending theirs.

The U.S. Postal Service says local election officials are responsible for telling voters how much postage is needed. The agency’s policy is to deliver completed ballots even if they enter the mail without enough postage, then seek payment from the appropriate election board. That policy does not change the county’s instruction that voters apply additional postage.

Tarrant County elections officials did not respond to a request for comment. Early voting began as polling places across North Texas saw long lines, making mail voting an option for residents who qualify and prefer to avoid in-person waits.