diff --git a/pagure/lib/notify.py b/pagure/lib/notify.py
index c7a8a92..2683f58 100644
--- a/pagure/lib/notify.py
+++ b/pagure/lib/notify.py
@@ -236,8 +236,6 @@ def send_email(text, subject, to_mail,
             mailto = mailto.encode('utf-8')
         msg['To'] = mailto
         salt = pagure.APP.config.get('SALT_EMAIL')
-        if isinstance(mailto, unicode):
-            mailto = mailto.encode('utf-8')
         if isinstance(mail_id, unicode):
             mail_id = mail_id.encode('utf-8')
         mhash = hashlib.sha512('<%s>%s%s' % (mail_id, salt, mailto))