WASHINGTON, April 18, 2007 -- The light side and the dark side are battling for honors in the race to become America's favorite Star Wars stamp.

After two weeks of voting, Yoda is in the lead -- but Darth Vader is menacingly lurking close by. Now, voting is easier than ever! Fans no longer have to wait for a confirmation e-mail, once an e-mail address has been entered the vote is cast. The site has even added an option to receive a reminder to vote the next day.

Voting continues through May 23 on http://www.uspsjedimaster.com. The winning stamp will be announced at the first-day-of-issue ceremony of the Star Wars stamp sheet on May 25 during Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles.

The commemorative stamps feature images from all six movies in the Star Wars saga: Luke Skywalker; Han Solo and Chewbacca; Princess Leia Organa with R2-D2; C-3PO; Yoda; Queen Padme Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen in Episodes IV through VI; Anakin Skywalker battling Obi-Wan Kenobi; Darth Vader; Emperor Palpatine; Darth Maul; Imperial Stormtroopers; Boba Fett; the Millennium Falcon; and an X-wing fighter. Which one is your favorite?

Of the 15 images on the Star Wars stamp sheet, the Postal Service has invited the public to vote on its favorite. The stamp receiving the most votes will be honored with the issuance of a single stamp, which will be for sale later this summer.

Check http://www.uspsjedimaster.com for regular updates on voting -- it's up to America to choose which Star Wars stamp wins the honor of a single-stamp sheet release.

Pre-order the Star Wars stamp sheet

The set of 15 stamps will be released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Friday, May 25, at Star Wars Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars event in the galaxy, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The stamps will be available for purchase on May 25 in post offices, on http://www.usps.com and by calling 1-800-STAMP-24.

Customers may pre-order these stamps for $6.15 starting April 25 (30 days in advance of May 25), by going to http://www.usps.com or by calling 1-800- STAMP-24. For those outside the U.S., the same options apply. Your postal administration will deliver them as any other delivery from the U.S. All Star Wars stamps preorders will be shipped on May 25.

Stay tuned and visit http://www.uspsjedimaster.com for more information and to vote on your favorite stamp!

Pre-order the Star Wars pre-paid Express Mail envelopes

This set includes three pre-paid Express Mail envelopes featuring artwork images of Yoda, Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi as well as the new Marine One Express Mail stamp. The set of three envelopes costs $48.75 and will be available only from May 6 through Sept. 1. Customers may pre-order the envelope set now at http://www.usps.com, by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24 and in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. They are not available in post offices.

Become a Jedi shipping and mailing master to win a trip

Through May 7, customers can enter this sweepstakes by solving six different challenges about Postal Service products and services featuring a Star Wars theme. As each question is answered correctly, customers are automatically moved to the next challenge. At the start of the sweepstakes, customers enter their contact information into a sweepstakes form. There is a limit of one entry per challenge, for a total of six entries.

The Jedi shipping and mailing master challenge is a fun, interactive Web tool that reminds customers of the quick, easy and convenient suite of services available from the Postal Service, including ZIP Code Lookup, International Shipping, Flat-Rate Boxes, Click-N-Ship, Priority Mail and free Package Pickup. The winner of this sweepstakes will receive an all-expenses- paid trip for four to the 30th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles, which runs from May 24 to May 27. (For details, go to http://www.starwars.com/celebration.)

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to cover its operating expenses. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.

STAR WARS and related character names and properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & (C) Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.